Moonless Night
by El Emperador
Summary: Naruto sacrifices his life to seal away Kaguya Ōtsutsuki and is then saved by the Soul King who asks for Narutos help in up coming wars. Now reborn as Naruto Kuchiki, even as a Shinigami, he will walk the same path he did as a Shinobi. [Smart, Powerful Naruto] [Naruto Harem]
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Bleach  
This story is in response to the challenge from **_'_****Naruto Bael'.  
**Betad by: **HaretaSora**

**Moonless Night - Prologue**

* * *

'_W-Where am I?'_

That was the first thought that crossed Naruto`s mind as he regained consciousness. He slowly began to open his eyes, only to be greeted with nothing but darkness. Not moving, and just looking at the darkness for a while, he then began to look around and saw that he was floating in some sort of endless void, with nothing for as far as the eye could see.

'_Where am I? How did I even get here!? What happened?' _He thought with a frown as he began to recall what happened before he got to this void and how he got there.

'_That's right, I sacrificed my life to seal away Kaguya __Ōtsutsuki for all eternity.' _Naruto thought as he recalled his final battle with Kaguya, and how the seal had cost him his life. They hadn't been able to use the seal that old man Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki had taught him and Sasuke so in a desperate attempt he had summoned 'Death' and used old man Hagoromo`s seal in conjunction with the **Shiki Fūjin** and together with the help of 'Death' he had been able to seal Kaguya off for all eternity, but the help of 'Death' had cost him his soul, though from the looks of it he wasn't in the stomach of 'Death'.

He didn't know where he was and what had happened after he sacrificed himself to seal off Kaguya but he hoped that the others were alright, and that the **Mugen Tsukuyomi **had ended so that everyone was free from the worldwide genjutsu.

"So I am dead, and now in the afterlife!" Naruto said to himself as he looked around the void. "Man, if this is how the afterlife looks like then it's going to be very boring…"

"**You are only partially correct young Naruto. Yes you are indeed dead but you quite haven't reached the afterlife yet." **A voice said from behind him, as suddenly the dark void was replaced by a white space just like when he had met his mother within the seal.

Hearing the voice he quickly turned to see who had said it, and when he did, his eyes widened when he saw exactly who, or rather what, had spoken.

The speaker appeared to be some sort of humanoid being, with slicked-back dark hair, oval eyes with black sclera and unusual pupils and very thin eyebrows.

Despite looking mostly human, Naruto knew that the being in front couldn't be further from it, he could sense it and he by no means sensed a human. In some ways his presence reminded him of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki and Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, both of whom were by no means humans and were practically Gods. He instantly became on guard.

"Who are you?" Naruto demanded of the one standing before him without taking his eyes off of the being. "And what do you mean I haven't reached the afterlife yet? I am dead so shouldn't it be the afterlife?"

The being chuckled before answering, **"I am know as the Soul King, the King and ruler of Soul Society, or the afterlife as you call it." **

Naruto`s eyes widened when he heard that '_So this guy is some sort of God or something! The king of the afterlife!_' he thought as the Soul King, somehow knowing his thoughts, and being amused by his reaction, chuckled again.

"**And what I meant was that you are not in the Soul Society or the afterlife, but you aren't in the world of the living anymore either. Currently you are within a limbo, which is the world, or the 'void' that exists between the world of the living and the world of the dead. I brought you here when your soul was taken by 'Death'." **The Soul King finished his explanation to Naruto who was shocked at what he had heard. So that's why he hadn't ended up in the stomach of 'Death', this guy apparently took his soul from 'Death' and brought him here. But why!?

"So why exactly did you bring me here? I doubt the king of afterlife would waste his time and go through all the trouble of bringing me here out of the kindness of his heart." Naruto asked again, he maybe an airhead and a dense idiot most of the time but he wasn't stupid, he was a Shinobi after all and was taught to always look underneath the underneath. And he knew that a being like this wouldn't just waste his time without a purpose.

The Soul King chuckled again.**"Yes, you are indeed correct young Naruto. I did bring you here for a purpose." **Soul King answered as he turned serious.

"Oh, and what is that purpose?"

"**I require your help, young Naruto." **The Soul King said to him with a serious look.

Naruto looked the Soul King, now confused. "My help?" Naruto asked as he tilted his head to the side. "What would you need my help for?"

"**I can see great conflict and darkness arising in the future of the Soul Society, and I need your help in ending those conflicts and wars that are sure to occur in the future, just like you did to your own world,"**

"Wait!" Naruto suddenly shouted cutting off the Soul King. "You said 'just like I did to my own world', does that mean you know what happened to my world?" Naruto asked the Soul King who in turn nodded his head. "Then can you tell me what happened after I died? Are Sasuke, Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei alright? Did the **Mugen Tsukuyomi **end? Are the people free from the genjutsu? What about Kurama and the others?" Naruto bombarded the Soul King with questions.

"**Patience, young Naruto. I will answer all your questions," **The Soul King said at Naruto`s desperation to know what happened to his world. **"First of all, your sensei and teammates are fine, thanks to you. The Mugen Tsukuyomi ended with Kaguya Ōtsutsuki being sealed away and the people who were caught within the world of dreams were all freed as well. Though your friends and even the entire Shinobi population were greatly saddened by your death and in your honor the five great villages have decided to keep their alliance." **Naruto looked down when he heard that his friends were saddened by his death; he didn't want them to be sad, though he was happy that they decided to keep being allies. The Soul King saw this but didn't say anything to show his sympathy.

"**And as to what happened to the Nine Bijū, they all decided to not leave your body and reform somewhere in the Elemental Nations, instead they decided to just stay with you. At the moment they are resting since they were rather exhausted from the battle against Kaguya Ōtsutsuki." **Naruto looked up at that, for some reason he felt happy that his friends had decided to stay with him even in death.

"**And now with your duties as the Child of Prophecy of your world completed, I am in need of your help to save the soul society." **The Soul King finished and by now Naruto had let down his guard and relaxed.

"So you need my help, to help out your world just like I did to mine?" It was more of a statement than a question to which the Soul King nodded. "What would happen if I accept?" Naruto asked again wanting to know everything.

"**Then you will be reborn within the Soul Society within one of the Four Great Noble Families where you will then take up the path of a Shinigami to walk the same path you did as a Shinobi."**

"And if I refuse? Then what?"

"**If you refuse, I am afraid I wouldn't be able to do anything, not even send your soul to Soul Society and your soul will be sent back to the stomach of 'Death'." **

"Tell me first." Naruto said as he looked curiously at the Soul King. "Can dead people even give birth? And what exactly is a Shinigami?"

"**Shinigami or Soul Reapers, ****when souls with exceptional spiritual energy train their bodies, they become Shinigami. The ****Shinigami ****are guardians of the Soul Society. They purify Hollows – who are the corrupted spirits – and guide the souls who have lost their way after death. In a way they are like you Shinobi." **The Soul King answered to which Naruto nodded his head. **"And you are correct, normally the dead won`t be able to give birth, however Shinigami who have exceptionally high spiritual energy can, the Four Great Noble Families are prime examples of this, that is why they are regarded with such high respect. Though, it is rare for even one of the Four Great Noble Families to have children." **The Soul King finished his explanation and stood there awaiting Naruto`s answer. **"So, what is your answer, young Naruto?"**

"So if I agree I would be reborn within the Soul Society and if I refuse I would be sent to 'Death`s' stomach." Naruto said to himself as he held his chin in thought.

He began to think on his options. If he agreed he would be reborn within the Soul Society where he would have to become a Shinigami – a Soul Reaper – and would have to work to end the conflicts and wars like he did to his own world, and also would most likely grow up with a family. Family huh! That thought alone made Naruto want to accept the offer, as someone who never knew the love of a mother or a father until recently, but more importantly didn't get to make memories either good or bad, so to have a chance to grow up with a family, to know the love of a mother and a father, to share memories and even a chance to grow up without being scorned for something beyond your control would be amazing.

While on the other hand if he refused he would be sent to the stomach of 'Death', which from what he knew was a living hell for the souls trapped within its stomach. So the choice really was obvious. Naruto looked at the Soul King again who still appeared to waiting for his answer.

"You know what," Naruto began as slowly a grin began to form on his face. "I'll do it!"

* * *

**(Time-skip: Nine Months) (Kuchiki Clan Manor) **

Standing in front of the closed doors to one of the rooms within the manor were three male figures. From within the room the screams of a woman could be heard.

The first one appeared to be an elderly man with slate gray eyes, a gray mustache, and long gray hair. He was also wearing the standard Shinigami Captain uniform along with a white scarf. This was Ginrei Kuchiki, the current head of the Kuchiki Clan and also the captain of the 6th Division. He had a calm look on his face with his eyes closed and arms crossed over his chest.

The second one was a young man of average height. He had shoulder-length black hair, purple eyes and light skin. His hair was neatly combed and his bangs pushed away from his face. He wore the standard Shinigami shihakushō. This was Sōjun Kuchiki, the son of Ginrei Kuchiki and the lieutenant of the 6thDivision; He had a very nervous look on his face as he kept glancing to the door whenever there was a scream.

The third one was a young child, about eleven years old. He had gray eyes and shoulder-length black hair. He wore a white kimono top with dark blue hakama pants. This was Byakuya Kuchiki, the son of Sōjun Kuchiki and the grandson of Ginrei Kuchiki; he appeared to be very worried as he just kept is eyes on the door of the room with worry written all over his face.

All three of them were currently waiting in front the room for any news on Sōjun Kuchiki`s wife who was currently giving birth to his second child.

"Father, Grandfather, is mother going to be ok?" Byakuya asked his father and grandfather as he looked up at the two with a worried look.

"Don't worry Byakuya, your mother and sibling are going to be just fine." It was Ginrei who had answered as he kept his eyes closed while Sōjun just smiled at his son. After that all three fell silent again as they waited for any news on the mother and the child.

After what felt like hours, the cries of a baby were heard from within the door, all three looked up when they heard the wails. After a short while the door to the room was opened and a nurse came out and turned her attention towards the three and bowed slightly.

"Congratulations, it's a healthy baby boy; you may go in and visit them." The nurse said before walking away.

A huge smile formed on Byakuya and Sōjun`s faces while Ginrei just smiled a small of relief and happiness at the news. Byakuya and Sōjun quickly entered the room while Ginrei just followed behind at a slow pace.

When they entered the room, they were greeted by the sight of a beautiful young woman with long waist-length black hair and gray eyes, who was looking at the small bundle in her arms with a loving smile. This was Asanoha Kuchiki, formally known as Asanoha Shiba, the wife of Sōjun Kuchiki, mother of Byakuya Kuchiki, Daughter-in-Law of Ginrei Kuchiki and the sister of the current Shiba Clan head, Isshin Shiba.

Byakuya instantly went to his mother`s side as he looked at his little brother for the first time with a huge smile, and was soon followed by his father and grandfather. They all looked at the small bundle in her arms and saw the sleeping form of a small baby boy with a mop of black hair on his head and fair skin.

"Whoa! He is so small!" Byakuya said with astonishment as he looked at his little brother. The three adults just chuckled at this. "So, what`s his name mother?" Byakuya asked as he looked at his mother.

Asanoha just looked at her baby who had began to stir at this point and was soon awake before opening his eyes to reveal two gray orbs, and looked at his mother after which he smiled causing Asanohas' smile to widen even more, along with the others.

"Name?" She said still smiling at her baby. "Naruto," she said after a while of thinking. "Naruto Kuchiki."

Sōjun chucked at that "Fishcake!" he said still chuckling though he instantly shut up when his wife glared at him with an intense glare and he held his hands up in a surrendering manner and smiled nervously, hoping to avoid his wife`s anger.

"It`s not fishcake! It means maelstrom." Thankfully she calmed down after that causing him to release a sigh of relief. She then looked at her newborn son again and smiled.

"I agree," It was Ginrei who had said that as he too smiled at his newborn grandson. "It's a powerful name, which I am sure will fit him very well once he grows up to be a powerful Shinigami which I know he will."

They all smiled at baby Naruto. Not knowing of the great changes that are sure to occur with Naruto`s presence within the Soul Society.

* * *

**(Soul King`s Palace)**

Up, within the Soul King`s Palace, The Soul King smiled when he felt Naruto`s presence appear within the Soul Society. _**'It would appear you have finally arrived, young Naruto. I wish you luck for the upcoming challenges you will face. Though, I have faith that you will overcome all of them.'**_

He didn't know what the future would be now with Naruto`s presence within the Soul Society but one think was for sure, things were going to be a lot more interesting.

* * *

_**To be continued...**_

_**AN: **__Well that`s the prologue. Hope you guys like it. This was only the introduction to the story, it isn't supposed to be longer than it should, and it's only meant to introduce the story._

_This was a challenge to me from __**'**_**Naruto Bael'**, _I found his challenge very interesting and accepted it. _

_So Naruto is the brother of Byakuya Kuchiki and the cousin of Ichigo Kurosaki and so is Byakuya, wonder how this will play out now._

_Also Naruto wont remember his past, he will regain his past memories later on in the story and the __Bijūs will also make their appearance much later in the story as well. The pairing will be Naruto x Harem. _

_Note: __Naruto`s appearance and everything else were all part of the challenge._

_Well Please leave a REVIEW. :)_

_**\- El Emperador **_


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Bleach  
This story is in response to the challenge from **_'_****Naruto Bael'.  
**Betad by:** HaretaSora**

**Moonless Night - Chapter 1  
**

* * *

Closing the book in front of her, Asanoha Kuchiki released a sigh before casting a glance out the window to see the deep black that pervaded the sky letting her know it was at least past midnight. She released another sigh before standing up from her sitting position, she had been so engrossed in her reading that she had completely lost track of time.

Looking around the room, she saw that her husband was already asleep, and probably everyone else within the Kuchiki Clan manor as well, all except for…

She released another sigh before proceeding to walk out of her room to look for the little night-owl.

After a bit of walking she found who she was looking for. There, sitting on the veranda right in front of his room was her now four year old son, Naruto.

Now as a four year old, Naruto had short black hair – which was unlike the rest of the Kuchiki Clan who all had hair that ran past their shoulders. He had fair skin and his eyes over the years have changed form gray to a grayish-blue. He was wearing a plain white kimono that was generally worn for bed.

She knew he would be awake at this time, despite it being late at night.

This was a condition he was born with; he just couldn't sleep at night!

Well, perhaps saying he just couldn't sleep at night wasn't the right way to put it. He only couldn't sleep at night but that only really happened when the moon was out, and especially so during the full moon. If he tried to sleep at those times he would become extremely restless with his spirit energy starting to rile-up. Though during moonless nights such this one, he would be able to actually sleep.

Though she supposed that due to his usual condition of not being able to sleep at nights when the moon was out had affected him enough that he couldn't sleep even during such a dark, moonless night.

She continued to watch him for a bit, as he was lost in his star-gazing, before a soft smile played on her lips; despite his condition, her son still seemed to have a strong liking towards the night.

She then began to take silent steps towards him, noticing that he still wasn't aware she was there which he normally he would have.

Even for someone born within one of the four great noble clans, her youngest was born with exceptionally high spirit energy, due to which he had gained a high spiritual awareness. Though despite his high spiritual awareness he was still just a four year old child and would only be aware of the beings surrounding him if he were to pay attention to his surroundings, something he wasn't doing right now as his entire focus was on star-gazing.

When she reached him, she bent down and picked him up before placing him on her lap, causing Naruto to look up once he felt himself being picked up and his bluish-gray eyes lit up when he saw the smiling face of his mother.

"Kaa-chan!" Naruto said with a big smile as he wrapped his arms around her.

Asanoha laughed lightly as she too wrapped her arms around Naruto`s small frame. "Naru-chan, you're still awake?" She said as her laughter died down. "I thought you said you wanted to go to your brother`s graduation ceremony tomorrow." Asanoha asked as she smiled down at Naruto.

"Mhm." Naruto nodded with a smile

"Then shouldn't you be sleeping right now?" Asanoha began as she looked down at her son`s smiling face. "The graduation ceremony is going to be held early tomorrow, if you don't sleep, you're going to miss it." Asanoha finished as she looked into his bluish-gray eyes, which used to be the same shade of gray as her own but over the years had begun to gain a bluish tint to them. Something she supposed he got from his father seeing as his father`s eyes had a bluish tint to them as well.

Though a part of her was disappointed that her baby`s eyes weren't the same color as her own now, another part of her loved the new color of his eyes, finding them beautiful, and she especially loved how they seemed to have a part of both herself and her husband.

Naruto nodded. "Yes, but I am so used to not being able to sleep at night that now I just don't want to sleep at night." Naruto answered still holding onto her with a smile on his face

Asanoha nodded her head, she knew as much.

Naruto then let go of her and turned around, returning to his star-gazing as he settled himself in his mother`s lap while Asanoha let him settle himself before once again wrapping her arms around him as the mother and son duo sat there gazing at the stars while talking to each other late into the night.

* * *

The next day Naruto was walking by his mother`s side as she held his hand within her own. Both were on their way towards the Shin'ō Academy where the graduation ceremony was supposed to be held.

Both of them had stayed awake gazing at the stars and talking to each other till early in the morning, just before sunrise, and had woken up so late that they could only hope that the graduation ceremony wasn't over. Though looking at the people leaving the Shin'ō Academy gates as they neared the place, it was most likely that the ceremony had already ended and they had missed it.

As the two continued with their walk towards the Shin'ō Academy, they were greeted by many who would give them bows as they passed them. Being from two of the Four Great Noble Clans did that to people as others from the lower Noble Families or other shinigamis tended to treat them with greater respect and being the daughter-in-law and grandson of the 6th Division Captain and current head of the Noble Kuchiki Clan, who was respected almost on the same level as the Captain Commander of the Gotei 13 and the elder sister and nephew of the current 10th Division Captain and the Head of the Noble Shiba Clan, who was renowned and greatly respected for his immense strength and power, only served to have people be even more respectful towards them.

As the two finally reached the gate of the academy and entered, they began to look around when Naruto`s eyes lit up once he saw the people they were looking for. "Nii-chan! Tou-chan! Jii-chan!" Naruto called out to get their attention, which he seems to have succeeded in as it not only got their attention but also his mother`s, who also looked towards the three after Naruto called out to them.

As the two then made their way over to the three both of them noticed the Shihakushō Byakuya was now wearing, confirming his status as an official shinigami of Gotei 13. Though, they didn't knew which Division he was assigned to as Byakuya had two reserved seats, one in 6th Division under his grandfather Ginrei Kuchiki and one in 10th Division under his uncle Isshin Shiba.

A captain`s meeting was supposed to be held early in the morning today to determine the divisions each of the graduates would be assigned to.

Even though, for the Noble Kuchiki Clan, it was possible for Byakuya to skip the Shin'ō Academy entirely and just graduate and be assigned to a division, Ginrei had still insisted that both Byakuya and Naruto attend the Shin'ō Academy once they were of age as it was customary in the Soul Society for everyone to attend in order to become a Shinigami, and was still a place for them to better learn about being a shinigami as well.

Though despite that, Byakuya had still completed the six year course in just a single year. Graduating from the Shin'ō Academy in just a year at the age of fifteen, he was considered a genius. There were those who even said that Byakuya was going to succeed Ginrei as the 6th Division Captain in the coming years, which wasn't such a vague claim seeing as Sōjun didn't have any interest in becoming a Captain despite possessing the skills. He just wasn't fond of fighting.

When they finally reached them, Naruto immediately let go of his mother`s hand and latched himself onto his brother`s leg and looked up at Byakuya. "So, you're a shinigami now Nii-chan!" Naruto exclaimed as he smiled up at him "What division are you in? Are you with Tou-chan and Jii-chan or are you with Isshin Ji-chan?"

Like any normal kid, Naruto just adored and looked up to his big brother, always going around following him or watching him train and even asking his big brother to play with him and Byakuya didn't seem to mind in the least! In fact, he loved Naruto just as much and showed a very protective side when it came to him.

Byakuya looked at Naruto and smiled as he put his hands on Naruto`s back in a way of hugging him before replying. "Hello, Naruto. Yes, I am an official Shinigami now, in 6th Division under father and grandfather." Byakuya said with a proud grin as he lifted a hand to ruffle Naruto`s hair, who gave him a grin that matched his own.

Asanoha then approached her eldest son with a smile and went over to give him a hug. Naruto seeing this, let go of his brother`s leg and went over to stand beside his father. "Congratulations, Byakuya!" She congratulated her eldest feeling proud of his accomplishment. "So, 6th Division huh! I probably should have known that was where you would be assigned to!" She said as she let go of him and glanced towards her father-in-law and then her husband who smiled at her.

"What!? Did you honestly think that Byakuya was going to be assigned to 10th Division, Asanoha!?" Sōjun asked his wife with a smile that looked as if he was a little amused for some reason.

"I did actually, seeing as how Byakuya and Isshin are quite fond of each other." Asanoha answered as she went over to stand beside her husband and Naruto.

Byakuya scoffed, "Please! I am definitely not fond of that lunatic!" Byakuya said denying his mother`s claim which earned a chuckle form all of them even Ginrei.

"Sure, you're not." Asanoha said still chuckling.

Byakuya looked annoyed and was about to retort when he suddenly felt something and his hand flew to the hilt of his Zanpakutō that was attached to his hip and started to look around.

This seems to have put a stop to the others chuckling when they saw Byakuya suddenly becoming on guard and looking around as if looking for a hollow or something.

"What is the matter, Byakuya?" Ginrei asked calmly though with mirth in his eyes.

"I thought I felt something…" Byakuya answered as he looked around confused. "Was I just imagining things…" he said once again, relaxing his guard and letting go of his Zanpakutō`s hilt.

Though, just as he relaxed his guard and turned his to face his parents he was kicked in the face.

The attacker had the appearance of a man in his mid-twenties. He had short black hair with noticeable sideburns; he was wearing the standard Shinigami uniform, with a sleeveless captain's haori. This man was Isshin Shiba, the Captain of the 10th Division and the current head of the Noble Shiba Clan. He was also the brother of Asanoha Kuchiki, making him the uncle of Byakuya and Naruto.

Isshin`s sudden appearance had surprised them all as they hadn't even sensed him before his sudden kick to Byakuya`s face – except for Ginrei, though it was to be expected from someone of his caliber, and surprisingly Naruto.

"The feeling is mutual!" Isshin said to Byakuya with a smirk as he looked down at him. "Who would be fond of an obnoxious little punk like you!"

Recovering from her momentary shock Asanoha just shook her head at her brother`s antics "Oh, brother."

"Uncle Isshin!" Naruto exclaimed happily, completely unfazed by the fact that his dear big brother was just kicked in the face by his uncle, as even he knew that it was common occurrence between the two.

Isshin turned around when he heard his name being called. "Hey! Naruto!" Isshin immediately went over to Naruto and picked him up. "How`s my favorite nephew doing!?" He exclaimed once again as he lifted Naruto to the level of his eye level and grinned at him.

Naruto on the other hand just gave a delighted laugh as he was picked up by his uncle.

Asanoha gave a sigh when she heard her brother refer to Naruto as his 'favorite' nephew which he would always say after he and Byakuya have one of their daily bouts just to get his anger riled up as despite always bickering with each other all the time Isshin and Byakuya were actually very close to each other. And it was a known fact that Byakuya looked up to Isshin a great deal.

Though it was known that Byakuya looked up to his grandfather as a leader and a Clan Head, he looked up to Isshin as a Shinigami and as a Captain, something that was proven by the fact that he would mostly go and train with Isshin when it came to Shinigami arts and he also made it a personal goal of his to surpass Isshin.

So it would always somehow get him annoyed at being referred to as the 'unfavorite' nephew.

Sōjun and Ginrei in the mean while looked at the scene before them with amusement and chose to remain silent for the moment.

While Byakuya on the other hand was beginning to twitch with anger and annoyance from where he lay on the ground before finally exploding

"WHAT THE HELL!" Byakuya shouted as he shot up and pointed an accusing finger at Isshin. "Couldn't you arrive normally for once!?" He demanded of Isshin with anger, as he would always attack Byakuya whenever he would visit the Kuchiki Clan manor, or when he saw Byakuya anywhere for that matter, which he would always claim was a part of Byakuya`s 'training', to keep him on his toes all the time.

And as much as Byakuya hated it, he had to admit that it _was _rather effective.

Isshin who was playing with Naruto stopped and turned his head over to Byakuya. "No." He answered simply before handing Naruto over to Sōjun who then carried Naruto in his arms as Isshin turned to face Byakuya.

"You seem to have gotten rather lax…" He said to Byakuya in a rare moment of seriousness before a taunting grin broke on his face. "Why, has all praise of graduating from the academy in a single year and being called a genius gotten over to your head!?" He asked in a taunting manner "You were able to sense me for a bit there but then relaxed your guard without being sure what it was that you sensed. You seem to have forgotten all that I taught you!"Isshin finished as he shook his head in mock disappointment.

Byakuya`s face turned red with anger and embarrassment when he heard that, seeing as it was true!

He had always been taught to always be on guard and especially so when you aren't sure of what is out there, and when he had sensed his uncle for a moment there, he had chalked it off as his imagination, but in his defense neither his parents nor his grandfather had reacted in the least so he had also relaxed his guard thinking it was nothing.

Thinking about it now though, he probably should have known it was his lunatic of an uncle when they hadn't reacted.

As Byakuya stood there unable to retort to that, Isshin suddenly came at him and aimed a kick to his chest.

Byakuya`s eyes widen for a moment before he crossed his arms over his chest and caught his leg

He then raised his head to face Isshin as his gritted his teeth with a strained smile on his face as his left eyebrow twitched violently. "You didn't think that it would be that easy, did you!" Byakuya exclaimed to Isshin as his smile widened.

"Oh… so the little brat has gotten a little better, huh." Isshin said to Byakuya not fazed a bit. "But are you getting cocky now that you are a Shinigami!?" He taunted Byakuya as a wide taunting smile spread on his face. "Don't be too full of yourself! I still have my other leg!" He exclaimed as he kicked Byakuya in the face with his other leg, causing Byakuya to let go of his other leg as he was sent crashing to the ground a few meters away.

"Why, you!" Byakuya gritted out through his clenched teeth as he slowly got up, but before he could charge at Isshin, Asanoha decided that enough was enough!

"Alright, that's it you two!" She exclaimed as she went over to the two to stop them before one of their daily bouts could break out.

When she reached Isshin, she grabbed his ear and started pulling it, while Byakuya wisely chose to stay where he was.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! That really hurts Nee-chan!" Isshin cried out in pain.

"Shut it." Was the only response Asanoha gave to Isshin`s cries of pain as she glared at him causing him to stop and gulp, before turning and glaring at Byakuya.

Byakuya, seeing his mother`s glare, gulped and was about to take a few steps backwards just to be safe, but before he could his mother already had a hold of his ear and had started pulling on it together with Isshin.

"This isn't the time and place for you two to be fooling around like this!" Asanoha scolded as she began to berate Isshin and Byakuya for acting like two little kids, while the two could only say 'I`m sorry!' repeatedly in a desperate attempt to stop her from pulling on their ears.

The others in the meanwhile just watched with amusement as Asanoha berated the two while Naruto was laughing, apparently finding it all very funny.

"And besides, isn't it time for you to be going back to your Division Barracks!" Asanoha stated as she finally let go of their ears as the two began to rub their ears to sooth the pain.

"Yes, but what about you two?" Byakuya asked as he stopped rubbing his ear.

"We came here because we wanted to attend your Graduation Ceremony but since that is long over and we have already congratulated you we will be going back to the Kuchiki Clan Manor." Asanoha answered.

"Also it`s already time for you three to return to the 6th Division Barracks since its going to be Byakuya`s introduction into the division." She said to Byakuya, Sōjun and Ginrei.

"And you!" She began as she turned her attention to Isshin and glared intensely at him."You are going back to your Division as well!" She finished as she continued to glare at him daring him to defy her, as she knew that he was going to leave his Captain` s duties to his Lieutenant and go laze around somewhere.

Isshin`s head dropped at that. He was initially going to ditch his duties and go find a nice, comfortable tree somewhere and take a nice long nap and after, maybe go and flirt with some hot female shinigami but now he knew that there was no way for him to ditch his work.

Somehow, his sister always knew if he ditched his duties and when she found him lazing around… he shivered, that was too painful for him to even think about.

"Yes, it is indeed time for us to return to our Division Barracks." Ginrei said agreeing with his daughter-in-law as he addressed his son and grandson. "Come, it is time we are on our way."

Sōjun nodded his head and went over to his wife and handed Naruto over to her before he and Byakuya stepped forward and stood beside Ginrei, prepared to get going.

Isshin let out a sigh as he too prepared to go back to his Division Barracks. "Well, guess I`ll see you guys later then." He said as he ruffled Naruto`s hair and nodding his head at the others before disappearing in a Flash Step.

Once he left the others also said their goodbyes. And after bidding each other farewell, they went their separate ways. As Ginrei together with Sōjun and Byakuya went to the 6th Division Barracks, Asanoha and Naruto began to make their way towards the Kuchiki Clan Manor.

* * *

It was night time in the Soul Society and we find the Kuchiki Family eating dinner together.

Naruto was sitting besides Byakuya, while sitting across from them were their parents and sitting in the 'head' position was Ginrei.

They continued to eat in silence before Asanoha asked something that has been on her mind. "What seat did you get assigned to Byakuya?" She asked as she looked at Byakuya.

"Hm!" Byakuya looked up at his mother when he heard that. "Oh! I am the 5th seat for now but that's going to change soon!"

"Oh! Is that so..." Asanoha said with smiled.

"Yeah well, right now I may be just a 5th seat, but I am aiming for the Captain`s position so I am going to train even harder." Byakuya replied with a look a determination. "And besides, the 3rd and 4th seats weren't all that strong, the only thing they had that I lacked is experience and now that I am a shinigami, I can get that experience!"

"Hmm, you maybe correct about that but what makes you think you can become captain so soon?" Ginrei said as he looked at Byakuya with the same calm look he always wore. Ginrei of course, had no doubts about Byakuya`s talent and potential, and he was certain that in a few decades Byakuya was going to surpass him.

"Well, I do know that you are looking to retire soon and father has no interest in being captain so that only leaves me to fill in that position!" Byakuya replied as it was well known that his grandfather was looking forward to retiring soon, along with his father retiring from his shinigami duties as well.

While his father is going to succeed his grandfather as Clan Head, he won't be succeeding him as captain due to health issues and his general dislike of fighting.

"And when I do become captain… I will have surpassed both you and uncle Isshin!"

"Oh, so that is your goal huh? To surpass me and Isshin?" Ginrei asked.

Byakuya nodded his head with a look of sheer determination.

Sōjun and Asanoha smiled at their eldest. They both knew he had a strong desire to surpass both his uncle and grandfather that was the goal to accomplish which he would spend countless hours training.

Asanoha turned her attention to her youngest son who was paying more attention to his food but she knew that he also was aware of the conversation happening around him.

"What about you Naru-chan?" Asanoha asked getting his attention as he looked up from his food to his mother. "Do you also want to become a captain as well?" She asked which got the attention of the other tree males as well as they stopped for a moment and looked at Naruto.

It was well known that because of the abnormal amounts of Spiritual Energy Naruto was born with that he had unimaginable potential, so much so that even the Captain Commander had taken notice of him.

So she was curious about what her youngest planned to do with such potential. It may be a little early to be asking such a question but she couldn't help but ask.

Naruto gained a thoughtful look at that before looking at his mother. "I don't care if I become a captain or not!" Naruto said as he smiled. "I just want be strong enough to protect you, Tou-chan, Nii-chan, Jii-chan and Isshin ji-chan." He finished with an earnest smile.

The other in the room all smiled at that. They knew that the intention behind that was nothing but childish innocence, but it still warmed their hearths that he wanted to protect them.

Naruto himself didn't know what made him say that as he hadn't really had any goal in mind at that point, but when he had thought about it that had been the first thing that came to his mind! Something that even his four year old mind could understand was exactly what he wanted to do with all his strength!

That night, Naruto made a promise to himself, that he would become the strongest to protect all those he held precious to him!

* * *

**(Time Skip: Naruto age six)**

It has been two years since that night when Naruto made that promise to himself.

Things had been pretty much normal these past two years with no significant changes except for Byakuya now being the 3rd seat of the 6th Division.

Over these past two years Naruto`s desire of protecting his precious people hadn't diminished in the least, in fact it has grown even stronger since that night he made that promise to himself! For some reason the simple thought of loosing even one of his precious people had scared him greatly.

He couldn't understand why that was but all his young mind could comprehend was that he didn't want to loose _any_ of his precious people!

So today he would take the first step towards that promise. Today he would begin his training towards becoming a shinigami.

A now six year old Naruto stood across from his grandfather in a small clearing in front of the Kuchiki Clan Manor.

He was wearing black hakama pants and a white kimono top as he stood across from his grandfather, who had his arms crossed over his chest, ready to begin with his training.

To the side, sitting on the grass, was Asanoha who had a smile on her face and to the other side stood Sōjun with Byakuya as they watched and waited for Ginrei to begin the first day of Naruto`s training.

Ginrei looked at Naruto with an intense stare, which Naruto seem to return with a determined look of his own. Ginrei continued to look at his grandson for a while before uncrossing his arms as he took a step forward before opening his mouth to address Naruto.

"Alright Naruto… now, we shall begin…"

* * *

**_To be continued...  
_**

_**AN:**__ Yo! About this chapter! I suppose you could consider it a filler… While initially it was supposed to be longer and contained more events but then I felt that those events were taking place a little too early so I removed them._

_So next chapter we will truly began with the story. _

_If you guys didn't know, Naruto`s inability to sleep at nights, the moon is out is a side-effect of being the __Jinchūriki of all nine Bijū as it was stated that the moon greatly affects a Jinchūriki. While it was never shown that Naruto was ever affected by the moon when he was the Jinchūriki of Kurama but now that he is the Jinchūriki of all nine Bijū, the effect the moon has on him has been greatly amplified._

_Now about the harem, here is the list of the girls that are sure to be a part of the harem so far:_

Yoruichi Shihōin

Suì-Fēng (Soifon)

Tier Harribel

Kaguya Ōtsutsuki

_That is the list so far and I don't know if I will add anyone else or not! Perhaps I might add Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck or __maybe Kirio Hikifune and Senjumaru Shutara. Though I am not sure at this point who will I add or even if I will add someone at all or if that is the final harem list!_

_Though that will most likely be the final harem list!_

_And you guys might be wondering how Kaguya is going to be a part of Naruto`s harem! Well, all I am gonna say is that it's a secret at this point! But remember that you guys still don't know what happened the day Naruto sacrificed himself and when I reveal what really happened, you guys will understand everything, so just be patient! :D_

_Finally about Naruto`s Zanpakutō. I would like to let you guys know that the __Bijū__ aren't going to make up his Zanpakutō. Naruto`s Shinobi powers wont have any relation with his Shinigami powers - in the beginning! While there will be some influence of his Shinobi powers on his Shinigami powers, they will be two separate powers he will posses. _

_I have something in mind on what to do with them. But bottom-line is that his Zanpakutō is going to be one he will inherited from Shinigami heritage and wont have any relation to his Shinobi heritage._

_Well that's everything so far! Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter… :) Don't forget to leave a review!_

_Next time Naruto enters Shin'ō Academy._

_**\- El Emperador  
**_


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Bleach  
This story is in response to the challenge from **_'_****Naruto Bael'.**  
Please note that all REVIEWS will be answered on my **facebook** page after a 24-hour period.  
Betad by:** HaretaSora**

**Moonless Night – Chapter 2**

* * *

"Your form is too rigid Naruto and your swings are too hard. Try to relax or you might end up straining your body." Byakuya instructed from where he stood beside Naruto with a_ bokutō_ in his hand as the two brothers trained in _Zanjutsu_. "Keep in mind Naruto, there is no strength in sword-play based off of force. When you swing, each stroke must be delicate and precise_._" Byakuya lectured, reciting one of the many lessons he had learned from Isshin.

Naruto nodded before taking a deep breath as the grip on his own _bokutō_ relaxed but remained firm nonetheless.

"We will go for a hundred swings and practice what I just said." Byakuya instructed once more as he took a stance followed by Naruto. "Ready? 1, 2…"

In that late morning air, standing within the gardens of the Kuchiki Clan Manor, the two brothers continued on with their training undisturbed, and it was only when they were nearly done that a voice called out behind them.

"Well, you two sure are working hard."

The two brothers turned – wiping the sweat from their foreheads – and their faces lit-up when they saw their grandfather standing behind them with his arms crossed in the sleeves of his shihakushō while giving the two a barely noticeable smile.

"Jii–chan!" / "Grandfather!"

Naruto immediately went over to his grandfather and hugged him around the legs with Byakuya coming to a stop in front of Ginrei who had placed a hand on Naruto's head.

"You haven't been around as of late, grandfather! It's good to see you again!" Byakuya greeted his grandfather, sounding happy. It _has_ been a while since he last saw his grandfather and he was the 3rd Seat of the 6th Division but then again it was just one of those times when only the Captains and Lieutenants knew what was going on.

However, from what he knew, not even most of the Lieutenants knew what had been going on – except for his father – this time around.

"Yes, it indeed has been some time since I was last here, hasn't it?" Ginrei agreed calmly, having not been at the Kuchiki Clan manor for about the past two weeks and while normally, he would much prefer to stay over at the manor, certain circumstances would sometimes leave him with no choice other than staying at the Barracks.

"So you'll be staying over here again Jii-chan!?" Naruto asked as he finally let go of Ginrei and smiled excitedly up at him.

"Un." Ginrei nodded. "That is correct. Which reminds me, I brought a guest over."

"A guest?" Both Naruto and Byakuya asked at the same time curiously, wondering who could be visiting at this hour. Guests of Noble families usually only visited during the evenings.

Byakuya got the answer when he suddenly felt two soft mounds at the side of his face and immediately his face contorted into an annoyed one. He didn't need to look to know who this 'guest' was.

"It's you cat-monster!" Byakuya exclaimed, swinging his _bokutō_ at the culprit's head.

Yoruichi Shihōin laughed as she leaped back, dodging the swing expertly as she appeared a couple of meters away from Byakuya.

"A cat-monster?! Is that what I get for taking the time to visit?!" Came her witty remark as she smiled cheekily at Byakuya.

"I never asked for you to come visit!" Byakuya rebuked fiercely. "In fact, I'd prefer it if you don't visit!" He demanded with vigor but stopped when he noticed that Yoruichi wasn't paying attention to him anymore but rather was staring intently to his left. He instantly got a bad feeling when he took noticed to just where or rather _who_ she was looking at.

Meanwhile, Naruto was staring right back at the lady that had appeared out of nowhere. She had dark skin, short purplish-black hair and golden eyes. He guessed that she was a captain seeing that she was wearing a Captain's haori, though her shihakushō was different from his grandfather and uncle's as it was sleeveless and backless.

He continued to stare at her curiously, wondering who the pretty lady could be. His brother and grandfather knew her so she obviously couldn't be a stranger but Naruto hasn't seen her before today.

Looking at her still, Naruto was reminded of a cat. A feral hellcat that is.

Naruto blinked. A hellcat? For some reason, when Naruto thought of a hellcat, the image of a huge cat with a flaming blue body and two tails appeared in his head. Before he could ponder on the random thought though, Yoruichi had suddenly appeared right in front of him; her face inches away from his own, still staring at him silently.

Naruto, not knowing what to do in this situation, did the only thing that his six year old mind could think of. He tilted his head slightly to the side before, "Hello." greeting innocently, he blinked once.

Yoruichi's face broke into another grin. "Let me guess, you're Naruto!"

Naruto regarded her with a confused look. "Ah, yeah…"

"Nice to meet you, I'm Yoruichi!" She glomped him into a hug without any warning and buried his face into her chest before proceeding to hug the life out of him.

She seemed so engrossed in her own excitement that she didn't notice – or perhaps simply choose to ignore – that Naruto was turning blue from a lack of oxygen and trying but failing to get out of her hold.

Seeing the danger that Naruto seemed to be in, Ginrei decided to go to the rescue of his grandson when Byakuya beat him to it.

"Let go of him!" Byakuya demanded as he swung his _bokutō_ at Yoruichi's head again, who once more evaded by disappearing in a _Shunpo_. "Naruto! Are you alright!?" Byakuya inquired his little brother as he went over to him and knelt down in front of him while Naruto could only nod his head as he took huge gulps of air into his lungs to catch his breath.

"Did you really have to interrupt our bonding time!?"

Byakuya's head snapped back towards Yoruichi, who was standing a couple of meters away from them again with that same cheeky grin on her face.

"What bonding time!? You were about to suffocate him to death, you boob-monster!" Byakuya exclaimed angrily at Yoruichi who only laughed at being called a 'boob-monster' which did nothing but cause Byakuya to get angrier. "Stop these games of yours, they're not fun!"

"Is that so?" Yoruichi said mischievously before disappearing from her spot and reappearing right besides Byakuya who couldn't react in time as Yoruichi took the red headband tying his hair in a ponytail and by the time Byakuya swung his _bokutō_ at her again, she had already disappeared once more.

"They may be games to you but I'd be worried about the clan's future if a mere girl could take a headband from its heir's head so easily!" Yoruichi commented as she waved the red headband from where she stood atop a wall.

Byakuya's eyebrow twitched violently at that remark. There is _no way_ he was going to let that one slide. "Stay right where you are Yoruichi Shihōin-san…" Byakuya began to say as he seemed to slump slightly to the front before looked back up at her with a fierce gaze. "You have yet to see my _Shunpo_! In fact, I am about to prove to you that my _Shunpo_ is far superior to yours!"

"Why don't we see about that then?" Yoruichi said one last time before disappearing in a _Shunpo_ and was immediately followed by Byakuya who wasted no time in chasing after her.

"That Byakuya… There is no telling how far he will go if he can just learn to control his temper." Ginrei shook his head as he witnessed whole exchange between his eldest grandson and fellow Captain and Clan Head.

"Jii-chan…" A now recovered Naruto began as he clutched onto his grandfather's haori. "Who was she?"

Ginrei simply patted Naruto's head slightly before addressing him. "Since your training got interrupted, why don't we go and have some tea? I can introduce you later."

"Un." Naruto nodded his head before following his grandfather as the two made their way through the gardens of the Kuchiki Clan Manor.**  
**

* * *

It only took the two a short walk to reach the veranda right by the gardens of the manor and instantly Naruto's face lit up when he saw his mother sitting there – looking graceful as ever as a maid servant served her some tea. Wasting no time, he rushed forward and climbed onto the veranda. "Kaa-chan!" he said happily, glomping her into a hug.

"Naru-chan!" Asanoha gave a light laugh as she hugged Naruto back. "Done with your training already?"

Naruto shook his head negatively as he let go of his mother. "We got interrupted and now nii-chan is chasing some lady around." Naruto answered as he took a seat to his mother's left.

Asanoha nodded her head before turning towards Ginrei who had taken a seat on the veranda right in front of the two. "Otō-sama, good morning." Asanoha greeted as she bowed her head slightly.

"Un, a very good morning to you too." Ginrei nodded his head as he accepted the tea served to him.

"I take it the matter has been dealt with?" She questioned about the matter that has had the captains busier than usual for about the last two weeks and seeing Ginrei at the manor again and at this hour no less, she could only guess that the matter has been dealt with.

She has, of course, been aware of the matter since the beginning.

"For the most part, but I would not say it is dealt with just yet. Although, it will be by the end of the day." Ginrei answered calmly while sipping his tea.

"I see." Asanoha closed her eyes, understanding what he meant as well as knowing what it meant for one of her friends. "In any case, Yoruichi!" She called out seemingly to no one.

At that very moment, Yoruichi appeared on the veranda out of nowhere as she smiled sheepishly. "It's been a while Lady Asanoha." She greeted, giving a bow.

"Indeed it has." Asanoha nodded her head at Yoruichi. "Now I would appreciate it if you would stop making my son run around the manor as if on some wild goose chase." She said with a stern look on her face and Yoruichi knew that she wasn't _asking_, she was _telling_ her to stop.

Yoruichi in turn gave a barely noticeable sigh, it seemed like her fun time came to an end. No matter how much she may love teasing Byakuya; it was that you _just don't_ defy Lady Asanoha Kuchiki. Besides, Asanoha was the one person she respected above everyone else and would never even think of acting out of line in front of her.

She then proceeded to take a seat to Asanoha's right and her face broke into another grin when she noticed that Naruto was giving her a slightly wary yet curious look as he clutched onto his mother's sleeve.

It was at that moment that Byakuya also appeared on the veranda looking a little out of breath as he glared at Yoruichi. It hadn't taken him long to realize that Yoruichi Shihōin wasn't fast, no instead she was _ridiculously _fast, in fact the only person he could think of who was definitely faster than her was his mother and so he had lost, lost badly.

Yoruichi couldn't help but grin when Byakuya finally appeared. "What took you so long? I was just about to go looking for you!" She teased as she stopped playing peek-a-boo with Naruto while Asanoha merely shook her head.

Byakuya though, went red in the face at Yoruichi's words. For all his boasting earlier, he hadn't been able to keep up with Yoruichi at all. He then took a deep breath to calm himself; getting angry won't accomplish anything, he'll just have to train harder later on –

"GOOD MORNIN' BYAKUYA!"

It seems that today just wasn't his day as just when he was about to take a seat, he once more felt something hard connect to the side of his face and his world turn over before he found himself slammed hard into the wooden wall of the manor which shattered upon contact.

"Well hello there punk, it's been a while!" Isshin greeted, grinning like mad. "You have no idea how much I've been itching to beat the ever lovin' snot outta ya but couldn't during the few times I saw you within the 1st Division Barracks for the sake of formalities but here…" If possible his grin grew even wider at that point. "Here you're fair game."

Byakuya at this point had gone red in the face to the point that he was actually steaming with his eyes having gone completely white from where he lay into the broken wall and as if things couldn't get any worse, a piece of wood that was barely hanging above him broke and tauntingly hit him on the head.

"It's just one thing after another…" Byakuya gritted out from clenched teeth. "Why don't you give it a break already, you damned shitheads?!"

Perhaps it was a stroke of bad-luck, or perhaps misfortune or perhaps even fate but at that very moment Naruto turned to his mother and asked with all the innocence of the world. "Kaa-chan, what's a damned shithead?"

Every single person – including Ginrei – stilled at those words while Byakuya and Isshin went ghostly white before the others – except for the two, studied Asanoha with caution.

Asanoha for her part, continued to calmly and ever so elegantly sip her tea before turning her head and smiling beautifully at Naruto. "Whatever could you be talking about Naru-chan? There were no such words."

Naruto blinked. "There weren't…"

"But of course silly, you must have misheard." She said with certainty, still smiling as she patted Naruto on the head gently.

Naruto seemed to ponder on it for a bit before nodding his head in acceptance, after all, his Kaa-chan said so and there is no way that his Kaa-chan was wrong.

"Which reminds me," Asanoha began as she put her now empty tea cup down and turned to the still ghost-white Byakuya and Isshin. "Byaku-chan, Shin-chan." She addressed the two with sweetness dripping from her words and smile. "There is something of utmost urgency that I need to discuss with you two."

Byakuya and Isshin slowly and shakily turned their heads towards her and if possible, even their hair turned white when they saw her smiling face. The two of them then once more slowly turned their heads towards each other – with Byakuya slowly getting up and standing right in front of Isshin – and came to a mutual agreement:

They had to get the hell outta here!

Before they could even move a muscle though, Asanoha had appeared right beside them and placed a hand on each of their shoulders and gripped _hard_. "Would you please follow me?" Despite her smile and kind voice, it _was not _a request.

And at that moment, the two of them knew: there was no escape.

Like criminals convicted to death, the two reluctantly and obediently followed Asanoha as the _fusuma _closed almost ominously behind them.

The other three left behind could only watch in silence as a hallow wind whistled around them.

* * *

Yoruichi Shihōin tried to not let it bother her, she honestly did but the two idiots were really getting on her nerves.

How was she supposed to enjoy her tea with the two idiots bawling like babies?

She casted another look at the two sitting on their knees right next to each other with their hands fisted over their thighs as they bawled; their right cheeks and ears looking mysteriously big and red.

In another situation, she might have wondered about what had happened to the two but as things stood, she knew she was better off not knowing.

"Oh!"

She turned her head towards Asanoha who seemed to have perked up suddenly. "Is something the matter, Lady Asanoha?"

Asanoha turned to her and smiled. "Oh no, it's nothing. I just have to go and prepare Sōjun's lunch is all." She answered before getting up from her sitting positing.

Yoruichi nodded her head before realizing something. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen him today. Where is he anyway?"

"He is away on a reconnaissance mission to the South Rukongai, District 78, _Inuzuri_." She answered before turning to her two victims; not at all fazed by their current predicament. "Now you two behave alright!" She stated, sounding almost delightful.

_"I'b… shoo… berry… showwy…"_

Asanoha merely smiled before excusing herself.

Throughout the entire exchange no one noticed the mischievous grin that suddenly broke on Naruto's face when he heard his mother's words.

* * *

"You are going to get the both of us in trouble, you do know that right?" Byakuya asked, now dressed in his shihakushō with his Zanpakutō strapped to his side and a fairly large bento carried in his hand.

"No we won't. Kaa-chan agreed to me going with you!" Naruto replied with a grin as he happily walked beside his brother as the two made their way through District 78.

"I see…" Byakuya gave Naruto a suspicious look but made no attempt to press any further. Knowing what a tricky little fox his younger brother can be, who knows what he must have pulled for their mother to have agreed.

Deciding to put it out of his mind for now, Byakuya focused on the road ahead of them as the two neared their destination: A deserted part on the outer side of _Inuzuri_ with a few run down houses here and there along with a forest further up ahead with Shinigami scattered all across the area.

Coming on the scene, they noticed their father giving orders to his 6th Division subordinates and Naruto wasted no time to shout out to their father as he waved at him excitedly which seemed to have caught his attention as he turned to their direction with a surprised look appearing on his face.

Naruto then ran up to his father with Byakuya following after in a slower pace and immediately glomped him in a hug. "Tou-chan!"

"Hey, Naruto!" Sōjun smiled at his youngest son and ruffled his hair lightly before looking up at Byakuya who caught up. "This is a surprise. You two decided to bring my lunch for me today?"

"Something like that…" Byakuya replied. The only reason he had decided to bring it was because Naruto had insisted on coming along.

Accepting the bento offered to him, Sōjun raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. After all, if they were here then it must be with his wife's permission so he guessed it was fine.

"What were you doing here Tou-chan?" Naruto asked as he looked around him in something akin to awe. This was the first time he had ever even outside of _Seireitei _so he couldn't help but feel excited.

Passing the bento over to the Shinigami beside him – who gave a nod in return before leaving, Sōjun couldn't help but smile as well when he saw the obvious happiness of his youngest son. "Oh, we are here to –"

Before he could finish, a large explosion happened behind him followed by a loud roar.

Sōjun turned his head to the scene and stated when he saw the shadow of a large figure amidst a cloud of dust. "Ah, it's here."

Naruto clutched onto his father's hakama-pants when he saw the… _thing_ that came out of the dust-cloud. It appeared to be some kind of large humanoid monster with purple skin, a white mask and a hole in its left pectoral, and was about three times the size of his father.

However, what scared Naruto wasn't its appearance but rather its _Reiatsu__! _It was heavy, dark and malevolent, and that accompanied with the fact that he could actually feel its bloodlust and hunger – froze Naruto in his place. This thing meant them more than just harm.

He wasn't the only one though, Byakuya was also looking at it with beads of sweat tickling down his forehead. While his sensing ability wasn't as advanced as Naruto's, he was still proficient in it; he could tell, this thing's _Reiatsu_ was monstrous! It went above and beyond from that of the ordinary hallows he was used to dealing with.

"Father… is this?" Byakuya asked his father to confirm his suspicion.

"Yes, an _Adjucha_." Sōjun answered as he studied the _Intermediate Great_ _Hallow_ with narrowed eyes. "This one in particular is rather good at hiding its _Reiryoku _which made it difficult for us to track..."

"So then why…" Byakuya trailed off – why was it showing itself out in the open like this?

"What do you think?" Sōjun paused. "It's because of the three of us. Three people possessing the levels of Spirit Energy like we do was simply too much for it to resist." He finished before preparing to go and take care of it when he saw that his men were unable to detain it. "Byakuya, take Naruto and go." He did not want to risk his sons getting hurt in the process.

"Tou-chan…" Naruto clutched onto his father's hakama-pants a bit tighter as he looked up at him with worried eyes.

Seeing his youngest son's worried look, Sōjun smiled reassuringly and patted him on the head. "Don't worry Naruto, I am going to be just fine." Looking at Byakuya, he once more said seriously. "Now go!"

"Yes, father." Understanding the situation, Byakuya nodded his head. "Come on Naruto." Taking Naruto's hand, he immediately started to hurry away from the scene.

However, before they could even make it a fair distance away, he was halted by Naruto's shout.

"Nii-chan!"

Turning his head in time, his eyes widened when he saw a crimson-red cero headed their way. _Of course_, it's going after them! They were easy prey.

Pulling Naruto close to him, he immediately started to draw his Zanpakutō, however, _'The speed and power are off the charts! I will not make it!'_ And true to that, before his Zanpakutō was even half-way drawn, the cero was already upon them.

However, just before it could reach them, the cero was split into two and passed harmlessly to their sides.

Naruto and Byakuya stared wide-eyed as their father stood in front of them with his sword drawn. Byakuya went to say something but one look at his father's face stopped him in his tracks.

"Byakuya, get going." Sōjun said before slowly raising his sword and pointing it at the hollow standing meters away from them. His _Reiryoku_ spiked with that gesture before purple _Reiatsu_ erupted all around him.

The eyes of every single Shinigami including Byakuya's widened when they saw the action. "Lieutenant!" A Shinigami nearby exclaimed before jumping away followed by the others.

Naruto for his part was confused. What were they all so scared of. Turning to his brother, he noticed that Byakuya also had the same expression of panic. "Nii-chan?" He asked confused, which got Byakuya's attention.

"We have to get out of here Naruto! Father is about to release his Zanpakutō!" Byakuya stated before proceeding to picking up Naruto and preparing to flash-step away from the scene.

Naruto was still confused and simply turned to look at his father and just before they disappeared, he managed to hear his father call out the name of his Zanpakutō.

"Whisper, **Muramasa!**"

* * *

"Nii-chan, wait!"

Just when they had made it into _Inuzuri,_ Naruto suddenly called out to Byakuya out of nowhere.

Realizing they were a safe distance away, Byakuya stopped and turned to Naruto, still in his arms. "Sorry about that Naruto but father's Zanpakutō can be rather dangerous to inexperienced Shinigami or if you don't have considerable enough _Reiryoku_ as it will affect you if you are too close to –"

"That's not it!" Naruto shook his head as he cut off Byakuya. "It's about that thing, there are more of them!"

Byakuya's eyes widened when he heard Naruto's words. "What do you mean more of them?!"

Naruto closed his eyes and his brow frowned in concentration. "Six… no seven more! They don't feel as strong as the one Tou-chan is fighting and other Shinigami are heading their way but…" Naruto trailed off as his frown deepened before his eyes snapped back open and he looked at Byakuya with urgency. "Someone's in trouble Nii-chan!"

"What are you talking about Naruto? Explain!" Byakuya asked of Naruto seriously, his Shinigami mode kicking in.

"The Shinigami _are_ going towards them but one of them is about to get to someone! The other Shinigami won't make it in time Nii-chan! We are the closest ones!"

Understanding the severity of the situation Byakuya nodded. "Alright Naruto, tell me which way are they?" Byakuya asked seriously. Even though Naruto's sensing prowess was curious to him, he realized now wasn't the time to look more into it.

Naruto wasted no time in pointing towards Byakuya's right. "It's that way Nii-chan!"

Byakuya nodded his head before flash stepping towards the direction.

* * *

She couldn't move.

In another situation, she would have thought that maybe it was because of her injured leg but that wouldn't explain why she couldn't move her arms or the rest of her body for that matter so she guessed that it was most likely because of the thing – she didn't know how else to describe it though looking at its bug like body, the white mask and the hole in its abdominal area, she could guess that it was one of those hollows she had heard the passing Shinigami talk about.

The _hollow_ took another step towards her with its mouth open and salivating.

It was strange she thought. Here she was, literally being stared down by death and she didn't feel a single shred of fear, all she felt was… regret.

Perhaps that was because she realized the hopelessness of her own situation. She was tired, she was sleepy, she was hungry; she didn't even have the energy to speak much less cry out for help and besides, it's not like there would be much point seeing as how there wasn't anyone else around to help her.

And yet, none of that even mattered to her. All she could even think of in this situation was the one she had thrown away – the little sister she had abandoned.

She didn't want to die.

She knew she didn't want to die, not without seeing the face of her baby sister again.

And yet, that was exactly what was going to happen here. She was going to die without ever getting to see the face of her sister again and a part of her felt that this was exactly what she deserved: to die without even getting to see her face.

'_I'm so sorry... Rukia…' _She closed her eyes in resignation and waited for the hallow to come get her.

It never came. Instead she heard a voice call out.

_"Scatter, __**Senbonzakura!**__"_

She opened her eyes again in time to see the hallow get ripped to shreds by what appeared to be cherry blossom petals before someone appeared right in front of her – a Shinigami she guessed, seeing that he was wearing the traditional shihakushō and carried a Zanpakutō.

He was quite good-looking she supposed. He appeared to be around her age and had this… regal air about him. He also had a small kid with him who appeared to be around the age of six to seven and looked to be a smaller version of the older boy with shorter hair and a blue tint to their otherwise identical gray eyes.

She didn't need to look at them twice to know that they were nobles.

Taking notice of the _Sakura_ petals from earlier, she watched in fascination as they all floated over to the empty hilt in the older boy's hand and formed the blade.

Turning her eyes over to the two boys again, she watched curiously as the older boy put the younger one down and sheathed his sword before kneeling down to her eye-level.

"Are you alright miss?" He asked in genuine concern which she honestly found surprising as most nobles would never concern themselves with those of 'lower-class'.

"Don't be silly Nii-chan, of course she is not alright!" The younger boy answered on her behalf as he gave his 'Nii-chan' a teasing grin and she watched in concealed amusement as the older boy flushed slightly, no doubt at having his 'professional attitude' broken and by his own chibi no less.

He then coughed in his hand and simply said. "Right."

Then younger boy then turned to her and lost his grin as he gave her a worried look. "She's not doing so good Nii-chan." She blink in surprise when she heard that. It seemed that despite his young age he was quite perceptive. "We have to get her to Unohana–Taichō right now Nii-chan! It's not just her injuries but her Spirit Energy is also about to disappear!" She looked at him in astonishment at that, although she knew nothing about Spiritual Arts, she did know that _Reiryoku_ was a soul's life-force (those souls that did possess it anyway) and guessed that that explained her current condition.

Still, she had no idea her current condition was _that_ bad.

Though it seemed that she wasn't the only one as the older boy was also looking at the younger one with what she guessed was a surprised look as he only had raised an eyebrow as he regarded his younger brother. "How can you tell all of this anyway?"

The younger one blinked at that. "I…" He trailed off as his brow frowned before he crossed his arms and closed his eyes in a gesture that indicated he was thinking hard and she couldn't help but find him absolutely adorable at that moment. No doubt, if she could move right now, she would be squealing and hugging the life out of him – his status as a noble be damned.

Finally after a while of trying to think up an answer, he looked up at his big brother. "I just do." He said simply as he tilted his head to the side.

If her circumstances were different, she would be giggling at the adorable gesture and on the other hand, just by looking at the older one, she could tell that he was resisting the urge to palm his face, now whether at his own question or at his younger brother's answer was anybody's guess.

"What are you waiting for Nii-chan? Hurry up and pick her up already so we can get going!" Pointing towards her, the younger one said to his big brother once more as he looked up at him and she felt her cheeks burn ever so slightly at the thought of being carried by a boy and someone this attractive no less.

"I know that but…" He trailed off as he looked at her a bit uncomfortably. She didn't even need to guess what he was so uncomfortable about.

"Come on Nii-chan, we have to hurry!" As the younger one pressed further, she could make out the slight up-turn of his lips as his eyes danced with mischief. She came to realize that the he was already aware of his big brother's inconvenience and was actually having fun with it.

"I know but it is going to be hard to carry two people while flash-stepping back to _Seireitei!_" He argued or at least tried to argue but she could tell that while what he said seemed true enough, he was still mostly just uncomfortable.

"Think of it as training then! If you flash-step while carrying the two of us it will be good practice for your _Shunpo_!" That seemed to effectively put an end to their little argument as the older brother tried but failed to come up with anything after that.

"That… is true I suppose." He relented after a bit of pondering before giving a sigh. "Very well then." He conceded before turning towards her, completely missing the grin that his younger brother shot at him. "Alright miss, there is no need to worry. We are going to take you to a medic so I ask you to trust us." It might be weird for a Shinigami to ask for someone to trust him normally but she understood where he was coming from. Most people form the _Rukongai_ were rather distrustful of Shinigami after all.

Being unable to respond to him, she just sat there and stared at him with undoubting eyes.

Apparently, finding his answer he nodded his head before gathering her unmoving form into his arms. He then turned his head and looked behind him. "Come on Naruto, it is time to get going." A few moments later she took notice of the younger one, Naruto, grinning down at her from over his brother's shoulder.

Slowly and shakily her own lips formed into a small, barely noticeable smile and before she knew it, the world around her had become nothing but a blur.

Now that the excitement of the moment had died down, she came to realize just how tired she actually felt. Her eyelids slowly started to close shut as exhaustion finally took its effect and there, she fell asleep right in the sanctuary of her savior's arms.

* * *

When she woke up again – her mind groggy and her vision blurry and unfocused – she had no idea where she was nor how she got there but she felt strangely warm and comfortable. Blinking a few times to clear her vision she could distinctively make out the sound of people talking though not as to what was being said.

"Ah, you're finally awake I see."

She turned her head to her right and saw a mature woman looking down on her with a gentle smile. She went to make a move to sit up with the older woman immediately coming to her aid before offering her a glass of water after she sat up on the bed.

Drinking the glass of water empty to relieve her parched throat, she looked around to see that she was in some medically equipped room with herself lying on a bed with white sheets before she turned to the woman to her side and asked. "Where am I?"

The woman once more smiled gently at her before answering, "You are within the 4th Division barracks and I am Retsu Unohana, the captain." She perked up in shock at those words though before she could say anything Unohana continued. "You were brought here by Byakuya-kun and Naru-chan after having a run-in with a hollow." She said gesturing towards the bed right to the side of hers.

Following Unohana's hand her eyes widened when she laid eyes on the two boys sitting there, also looking at her with the younger one raising his hand and muttering a 'Yo!' while grinning at her and everything came back to her: her going on the search for her sister, getting injured by the sudden hollow attack and then getting saved by the two.

She immediately bowed her head. "I am forever grateful for your help, Byakuya-sama, Naruto-sama! Thank you!" She thanked the two sincerely as not only the two had saved her from the hands of death but had also preserved her hope for finding her sister.

She kept her head bowed even as she was met with 'You are welcome' and 'No problem' from Byakuya and Naruto respectively.

"Hisana-san." Finally raising her head, she was met with the serious face of Unohana. "There is the matter of the condition you were brought here in that I need to consult you with." She fully sat up at this and waited for her to continue. "You should know that your condition was not caused by the hollow attack." She looked at Unohana in surprise at those words.

"The injuries you received through the hollow attack were mostly just superficial and nothing serious and as you can see I had no trouble healing them." She blinked and silently studied herself to see that her previous injuries were indeed gone completely. "However, despite the minor injuries, you were brought here in a near critical condition. Do you know why?"

"I'm sorry but I… I don't know." She shook her head negatively, not having an answer though she could probably guess the cause of her condition.

"I will put this in simple terms then. You see, when souls possessing _Reiryoku_ do work, they utilize that very spiritual energy doing so and the more they work, the more _Reiryoku_ is spent. And it is not just fighting that costs us our spirit energy but also mundane tasks such as walking or doing simple chores also utilizes spiritual energy granted, much less than any fighting but they cost us our spirit energy nonetheless. Do you follow?" She nodded her head at Unohana.

"So when the _Reiryoku_ levels have diminished after a long day of work, the soul begins to feel signs such as hunger and exhaustion which are basically signals telling the soul to stop and replenish the lost energy. In those times it is crucial for the soul to eat properly and rest well to recover its _Reiryoku_ as _Reiryoku_ is essentially the life-force of the soul and should it disappear completely, then so too will the soul – becoming _Reishi_. Do understand where I am going with this?" She couldn't help but flinch slightly at the look Unohana gave her and couldn't say anything thing in return as she _did_ get where she was going with this.

"Your condition, Hisana-san, was caused by _Reiryoku _overexertion. Now I am sure you are aware of this but you are in possession of a considerable level of _Reiryoku_." Unohana gave a pause here and studied her with a critical eye. "I will be blunt with you Hisana-san, but by the time you were brought here, your soul should have already disappeared." Her eyes widened at those words. Even though she had already guessed the cause of her condition, she definitely had _not_ expected to be dead by now.

"You have literally been working yourself to death, all the while not allowing your soul to rest properly nor eating properly. In fact the only reason your soul has remained intact is through sheer willpower! Now while I find that to be impressive, I would still like to know Hisana-san. What could have been so important that you would disregard your own life yet at the same time refusing to die?" While Unohana waited patiently for an answer, she bit her lower lip in thought.

After a while of thinking, she decided to tell them. They had saved her life when they didn't have to so the least she could do was tell them the reason behind her actions.

"I was looking for someone. My baby sister." Looking up for a bit, she noticed that Unohana as well as Byakuya and Naruto were listening to her attentively.

"A few months ago, I, along with my baby sister who was about a month old died in the world of the living and arrived at _Inuzuri_." She stopped for a bit as memories of her time in _Inuzuri_ came back to her. "It was… hard. But what made our situation worse was that I had a considerable amount of spirit energy so I was prone to collapsing, sleepiness, exhaustion and hunger and I wasn't the only one, Rukia, my baby sister also had spirit energy of her own. Though minute, it was enough for Rukia to be fussy."

"After the first couple of months, I came to realize that if we stayed together… we will not survive." She clutched the bed-sheets as the weight of her own decision weighed heavily against her.

"While still in _Inuzuri_ I learned that for people possessing spirit energy like I do, there were only two ways to survive. First was by becoming a Shinigami." She once more paused and thought of her frail body. "I had no interest nor the fighting talent to become a Shinigami so that only left me with the second option which was by finding some place to work."

"I…" Her eyes burned with unshed tears as she recalled leaving her precious little sister behind and going off on her own. "Promising that I will come back for her, I left Rukia at a common care place for the small children who arrive at the Soul Society and went to search for a job."

"I wondered around for about a week with no luck before collapsing near the edge of _Seireitei_ and it was by chance that an old married couple stumbled upon me before I had died of starvation. The old married couple happened to own a small tea house in the _Seireitei_ near the border." She couldn't help the small smile that came over her lips at the thought of the kind old couple that treated her as their own.

"After nursing me back to health, they gave me the positon of a waitress around the tea house." Her smile was still in place as she recalled the old couple waving her off and telling her that it made their job easier as they were too old to do it themselves – after her thousand bows of gratitude.

Her smile melted off her face however, as she recalled what happened next. "I was happy that I finally had a job to sustain both myself and Rukia so I went back to get her the next day. But when I got there," She paused as her eyes stung with hot unshed tears. "She was gone."

"I asked around the care place but none of them knew where she was or more like couldn't be bothered with what became of one measly kid." She gritted out, recalling the words said to her by some of the seniors at the care place. "So I went to search for her myself. I searched everywhere but couldn't find her." Her lips quivered as she recalled helplessly searching for her little sister without any luck. "All of that happened about a month ago. Now every day after getting off work, I would go looking for her."

After finishing her tale, there was silence in the room before she heard Unohana speak. "So it was because you were searching for your younger sister that you neglected your health?"

"Yes." She answered without raising her head.

"I am sure that you are fully aware of this – being a former resident of _Rukongai_ but district 78 is not a place where a newborn can survive without adult supervision. You may not want to hear this Hisana-san but," Stop… She _didn't_ want to hear it! "Your little sister may already be dead–"

"Or she may still be alive somewhere!" She closed her eyes shut tight and bit into the quivering lower lip as tear drops fell over the back of her fists and on the bed-sheets.

After her sudden outburst, there was silence within the room once more for a long moment before Unohana spoke once more. "If that is how you feel then there is nothing else for me to say." Saying this she could hear Unohana walking away before stopping. "You are free to leave at any time you wish. While your condition was serious enough, but since you were brought here on time, I was able to fully restore your spirit energy. In any case, I would advise staying here for the night."

After she gave her last minute advice, Unohana walked away leaving her alone in the room with Byakuya and Naruto both of whom were silent which, she was grateful for. She did not want to hear those two of all people – the ones who had preserved her hope, saying it was hopeless for her to continue searching.

She _did not_ want to hear them telling her to give up.

* * *

"I am not going to tell you to give up."

Hisana's head snapped towards Byakuya with her eyes widening when she registered what he had just said.

They had left the 4th division barracks a while ago with Byakuya and Naruto offering to walk Hisana back home. She had of course tried to refuse, saying they had already helped her enough but they had insisted on walking her safely back home.

So after accepting their generous offer, the three of them were now walking towards the tea house.

Their trip up to that point had been silent with all three immersed in their own thoughts when Byakuya had suddenly spoken out of nowhere.

Looking at him with wide disbelieving eyes still, she couldn't even form any words. Of all the things she had expected him to say, this was _not_ one of them.

Byakuya though did not turn towards her before continuing. "I am not going to claim to understand your situation nor am I going to say I know the hardships of living in the _Rukongai._ However what I _do_ understand is your position as an older sibling." He paused as he looked over at Naruto from the corner of his eye. "And I do know that if in a moment of weakness I was forced to leave Naruto behind…" He trailed off and turned to look at her with a fierce look in his eyes. "I _will_ go find him …or die trying!"

Her eyes widened even further at those words as she could do nothing but stare at him with something akin to fascination while Byakuya stared right back at her with eyes filled with unwavering determination.

The two of them continued to just silently stare at each other for a while before realizing what they were doing and slowly they went red in the face as Byakuya's eyes also widened and immediately the two looked away from each other.

"T-thank you…" Hisana muttered shyly as she fiddled with her floral pink kimono while looking at the ground.

"U-um…" Byakuya nodded in response as he looked the other direction.

And just like that the air around the two turned incredibly shy as the two walked side by side silently.

Meanwhile, Naruto was looking at his Nii-chan and the girl he just dubbed as Nee-chan with wide eyes filled with wonder.

Unfortunately, while Naruto was good at understanding the bad emotions of those around him, he had trouble understanding anything else so what was happening in front of him was totally new to him. In the end he settled on observing the two walking in front of him with rapt interest as they walked shyly beside each other.

The rest of their trip was spent in complete silence as two of them were too shy to speak and the third one was too wonder-struck to say anything.

* * *

When they reached the tea house, Byakuya immediately recognized it as this particular tea house was quiet famous amongst Shinigami. Being situated right by the border of the Seireitei, Shinigami going on or returning from missions would stop by for refreshments.

Byakuya himself had stopped by here a number of times with either his uncle or father and grandfather.

Seeing that they had arrived at her destination, Hisana turned to Byakuya and Naruto and started to speak. "Byakuya-sama, Naruto-sama –"

"You know what Nee-chan!" Naruto cut her off as he grinned up at her. "You can just call me Naru-chan!"

Hisana couldn't help but smile at the little bundle of joy. More than anything else, Naruto was the one who sparked her hope of finding her little sister. When she had witnessed him bickering with Byakuya and yet at the same time looking up at him with obvious adoration in his eyes, she had realized that she wanted this. She wanted her little sister to look up at her with such love and adoration.

She wanted to have what Byakuya had with Naruto.

"Well then, Naru-chan, Byakuya-sama." She added Byakuya's name a little shyly while giving him a short glance. "I know it's not much but I would like to show my gratitude to you so if you would like to come inside I can treat you with a cup of tea and some dango." She offered to the two as she bowed.

Byakuya and Naruto looked at each other for a bit, both wanting to take her up on her offer however, "As much as we would like to take you up on that offer, I am afraid it is already late enough and if we don't make it home soon then we will get in trouble… serious trouble." Byakuya almost shivered as the smiling face of his mother came to his mind.

"Oh…" Hisana looked down in disappointment. She had wanted to spend a little more time with the two.

Looking at her dejected face made Byakuya want to just accept her offer but his newfound liking to this girl was no match for the terror that was his mother. "But if that offer still stand, then maybe we can come visit some other day?"

The smile he got in response made Byakuya feel quite pleased with himself and was enough for him to almost smile too but when he took notice of Naruto looking at him and Hisana with a critical eye, he stopped himself. If Naruto got any ideas then his life was going to become infinitely harder.

"In that case I will be patiently awaiting for visit!" Hisana said happily.

"Very well. Now we must be on our way, come Naruto." Byakuya addressed Naruto before turning to leave. "Be sure to take care." He started to leave after saying that.

"Bye-bye Nee-chan, take care!" Naruto waved back at her as he grinned before following his brother.

"I will. You two also take care!" Hisana bid her farewell as she smiled the two a while giving a bow before walking into the tea house.

As Naruto caught up to his big brother, he looked up at him and grinned before commenting excitedly. "I like her, can we have that visit tomorrow!?"

"Sure!" Realizing his slip-up, Byakuya coughed with light pink dusting his cheeks. "If that is what you wish then of course."

Naruto merely grinned and happily continued to walk beside Byakuya.

Yep, he was right. His Nii-chan also liked her!

"There you are!"

The two nearly jumped when Isshin appeared in front of them out of nowhere. One look at his serious face and the two realized that they were in serious trouble. Isshin was only ever serious when the situation was no laughing matter.

"Hello uncle, what are you doing here?" Byakuya asked nervously.

"The two of you were gone for a while now so I came looking for you!" Isshin answered seriously as he walked over to the two.

"We actually have good reason for being late uncle –"

"Never mind that! Let's just get going!" Isshin cut off Byakuya as he picked up Naruto and placed a hand over Byakuya's shoulder and the three immediately disappeared in a flash step.

* * *

When they reappeared within the living room of the Kuchiki Clan manor, the first thing they noticed was their parents and grandfather sitting around a table with a rectangular wooden box with golden ornaments decorating the sides and top.

"Ah good. You are here." Ginrei commented once they arrived.

"What's… going on?" Naruto asked noticing the serious atmosphere.

"Let's go take a seat first. Everything will be explained then." Isshin said to Naruto still in his arms as he made his way over to where the others were sitting and was followed by Byakuya.

Placing Naruto beside his mother, Isshin took a seat beside Ginrei with Byakuya taking a seat by his father.

"Now I am sure you two are wondering about the situation but before that, you two have not been made aware of what has been happening this past month have you?" Ginrei addressed his two grandsons once everyone was seated.

Naruto and Byakuya looked at each other before shaking their heads negatively.

"Um. I thought as much." Ginrei started looking at the two. "You see, what happened is that about three weeks ago, the 12th division captain, Kirio Hikifune was promoted."

"Promoted?" Byakuya asked confusedly. "As in she was promoted to Central 46?"

"No. Not Central 46." It was Isshin who answered. "She was promoted to the Royal Guard – Division Zero!"

Byakuya's eyes widened as he looked at Isshin with shock written all over his face while Naruto for his part was merely confused. Can a captain even get a promotion and what was the Royal Guard? He certainly hasn't heard of any Division Zero before.

Seeing Naruto's confused face, Ginrei addressed him. "Naruto, I am sure that you do not know of the Royal Guard and Division Zero just yet and I will explain it to you at a later date but for now all you need to know is that the Royal Guard is the division that is charged with the protection of the Royal Palace and the Soul King."

"Soul… King?" Naruto felt a strange familiarity to the name but didn't know from where. He knew he hadn't met any Soul King so then why… "The king of Soul Society?" How did he know that?

"Yes."

All the adults in the room looked at Naruto but remained silently.

"Wait a minute!" Byakuya exclaimed, catching their attention. "A promotion to Division Zero? Is something like that even possible!?"

"I understand what you mean Byakuya." Ginrei commented. "Something like this has never happened before. Division Zero has always comprised of a set of Shinigami who contributed in the founding of this Shinigami organization along with the Captain-Commander. There has never been a promotion to the Royal Guard throughout the entire history of the Gotei 13. However, that is not the reason for which we are gathered here today."

Naruto and Byakuya waited patiently for their grandfather to continue.

"The reason we are gathered here today is this." Ginrei said, looking at the box sitting on the table.

Byakuya and Naruto also turned to the box and looked at it curiously. Was this box somehow connected to the Royal Guard?

"Just this evening, when the Royal Guard came for Kirio Hikifune, one of them approached me and handed over this box." Ginrei said before looking at directly at Naruto. "It was addressed to you, Naruto. A gift from the Soul King himself."

Naruto tilted his head to the side and blinked a few times. "Me?"

"Yes." Ginrei nodded his head before pushing the box towards Naruto. "Why don't you go ahead and open it Naruto?"

Naruto looked at the box in slight wonder before nodding his head. "Un."

Reaching over, he slowly tugged at the lid before lifting it up. He blinked once more when he saw that inside the box was a necklace – a jade greed crystal attached to a black string and below the string was some kind of crimson red cloth.

Taking the necklace in one hand, Naruto, with the help of his mother pulled the cloth out of the box to see that it was a long crimson scarf. It was much longer than the one Ginrei wore.

Delicately examining the scarf in her hand, Asanoha narrow her eyes before turning to the others. "Do you feel it?"

The other adults nodded their heads positively.

"The quality of this scarf is much greater than the one I wear but that's not it! There is this… aura about this scarf as well as that necklace." Ginrei commented while studying the scarf and necklace. "I suppose it is to be expected from a gift from Soul King himself."

"What," Naruto began as he turned to the adults. "Should I do with them?"

"You are to wear them Naruto." Ginrei stated firmly. "Throughout the whole history of the Soul Society, the Soul King has never gifted a single person. Wear them with pride and honor!"

Naruto looked at the others to finds them smiling encouragingly at him before he looked at the items in his hands. He didn't know why the Soul King would send him these gifts but from the way Jii-chan spoke, it was a pretty big deal.

Clutching onto them tightly, he came to a decision. He will wear them and someday, he will ask the Soul King as to why did he send these gifts to him. Until then, he promised to never lose them!

* * *

_**To be continued…**_

_**AN:**__ Yo people! Sorry for the wait but I has explained my reasons on the previous update of my story "The Origin" so I don't feel like explaining myself again! Anyways, this chapter didn't come as the way I had wanted but my muse and life were both being bitches. _

_This chapter as you guys saw was for the most part an introduction of Hisana's! While at first I had wanted this chapter to be of Naruto's entrance into __Shin'ō __Academy but when I was watching Rukia rescue Arc for some inspiration and saw Byakuya talking about Hisana and thought of introducing her and my own take on how she met Byakuya. _

_And due to the sudden change in chapter point, I had to do a lot of scrapping and in the end it didn't turn out like I had wanted it… Still, I hope I did a good job and that you guys liked it._

_Now there is the matter of the Harem I need to talk about. You see, I have been wondering if I should replace Harribel with Orihime. _

_I came to this because thinking about it, there isn't much I can do with Harribel as a pairing while I can do a mountain load to things with Orihime and not to mention, Orihime is my most favorite Bleach female character. What can I say, she is just so hot and her power utterly fascinating! It is one of the most incredible powers I have seen in anime/manga so far and just thinking about how much I can do to improve and other things with her power has me shaking in excitement!_

_Just thinking of the fact that Orihime has the potential to be the single most powerful character in Bleach is… you get the point! _

_Though I was pissed when Kubo didn't develop her power any further, I guess I can also understand why he didn't do it. If her power was developed to full maturity, it will be seriously overpowered – I am not buying the whole human thing, Juha Bach was also said to be human but look at him now, he is basically a god!_

_Anyway! You guys get what I am trying to say! I like Harribel and don't want to make a hasty decision just yet so I posted a poll to see your opinion and while I won't exactly go with the result of the poll, it will greatly help me decide. Feel free to also leave your thoughts in the reviews, I can really use help. I am open for suggestion and consideration till the story hits canon so please let me know your thoughts!_

_Well, I guess there is nothing else left to say._

_Please, don't forget to leave a REVIEW to let me know your thoughts and do not forget that all reviews will be answered on my facebook page – the link to which is on my profile, I will also be posting my thoughts there! _

_Well, ciao!_

**-**_** El Emperador**_


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Bleach  
This story is in response to the challenge from **_'_****Naruto Gremory'.**  
Please note that all REVIEWS will be answered on my **facebook** page after a 24-hour period. You can also find an image of what Naruto looks like in the story on my fb page.  
Betad by:** HaretaSora**

**Moonless Night – Chapter 3**

* * *

**Shinōreijutsuin **or more commonly known as **Shin'ō Academy**. Founded by Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto some 2,000 years ago, it was originally known as **Genji School** before he proceeded to create the Shinigami organization known today as the **Gotei 13 **and was renamed to Shinōreijutsuin. Alongside the **Royal Guard**, it is the only institute within the Soul Society that doesn't fall under the direct control of the **Central 46**.

Within the Soul Society, souls hopeful for becoming Shinigami are all required to go through the institute first and complete a six-year curriculum before they can proceed to become Shinigami of Gotei 13.

And that of course includes the nobles of the Soul Society.

Now granted, the Four Great Noble Clans have enough influence to bypass the academy and proceed to directly become Shinigami; in order to keep up the tradition of the Soul Society, it has been an unspoken agreement within the four great clans to always have their children go through the institute in order to become Shinigami; while it was a must for the lower noble clans to proceed through the academy first to become Shinigami.

However, among the children from the Four Great Noble Families there have been those that have been known to clear the six-year curriculum within two-to-three years with those who have even cleared the entire curriculum within a single year.

Such were the thoughts that ran through the head of the now nearly fourteen years old Naruto Kuchiki as he stood before the gates of Shin'ō Academy while dressed in the traditional academy uniform which consisted of a blue _shitagi_, a white _kosode_ with blue stripes, blue _hakama_ pants, with white socks and sandals. There was also a circular symbol on both breasts of the outer shirt – which appeared to be the emblem of the Academy.

Over the uniform, Naruto wore the crimson-red scarf he got from the Soul King along with the jade crystal necklace hanging around his neck. Lastly, he wore fingerless black _tekkō_ that covered the back of his hand and looped up to attach at the base of his fingers.

Being the youngest son of two of the Four Great Noble Families, it was expected of Naruto to also clear the six-year course in a similar manner. However, unlike those that came before him, Naruto's situation was a bit unique.

Due to his abnormal _Reiryoku_ even by the standards of the Four Great Noble Clans, Naruto has always had a bit more attention from the noble families than most. Even while growing up, Naruto has always been told by the Kuchiki clan elders that the clan had high hopes for him and though his family had never told him as such so to not pressure him, he knew that they also had high hopes from him and especially so after being gifted from the Soul King.

However, it wasn't just his family. Amongst all the candidates that have entered the Shin'ō Academy this year, Naruto was the one the **Gotei 13 **had their eyes on the most.

So as such, Naruto knew that he had to clear the Academy within a year and anything less was unacceptable. Not that he was worried though.

He can take on whatever the academy dishes out on him!

"Naru-chan."

Naruto was broken out of his musing by his mother calling him before he turned to face his family who had come to see him off on his first day of Academy.

Looking around him and taking notice of the fact that they were the only ones around the gates, Isshin turned to Naruto and grinned broadly. "This late at your first day of the academy! Clearly I have taught you well!" Isshin exclaimed dramatically before hugging Naruto while crying what appeared to be tears of joy. "I'm so proud!"

The others – used to Isshin's antics by now weren't even fazed, though they did found it amusing.

Asanoha though, was less than amused. Stepping forward, she grabbed Isshin's ear before prying him off of Naruto.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! That hurts Nee-chan!"

Paying Isshin no mind, Asanoha turned and smiled at Naruto. "About that." She started to say, referring to Naruto's lateness. "We have already informed the academy about your… special condition so you don't have to worry about it."

Naruto nodded in acceptance. Honestly, while he couldn't care any less about nobility and despite how stuffy it can get at times, he was sometimes glad to be a noble. If only because he could get away with causing trouble or doing whatever he wants.

"Now remember Naru-chan." Asanoha began to say once more without letting go of Isshin. "Always pay attention to what your professor says and be extra careful with your **Kidō** and combat classes. Even the slightest mistakes can have unpleasant consequents."

"I don't think we have to worry about Naruto messing up– OW!" Isshin began to say but was cut off when Asanoha pinched his ear harder.

Still not paying Isshin any mind, she continued to smile sweetly at Naruto. "Be sure to also make some friends Naru-chan. You don't need many; just a few wonderful ones are enough."

Isshin suddenly perked up at that and grinned suggestively at Naruto. "Also be sure to _befriend_ some cute girls Narut–ahhOW!" Isshin began to say once more while stressing the word 'befriend' when he was once more cut off by Asanoha who pinched his ear extra hard this time before turning her attention to Isshin.

"My son will do no such thing!" Asanoha firmly stated before she began to berate Isshin for even suggesting something like that to her baby-boy, Naru-chan.

Naruto for his part merely sweat-dropped. You would have thought that by now his uncle would have learned to anger his mother but surprisingly not. Although he didn't exactly see any problem with befriending a girl. But he didn't say that out loud.

Chuckling lightly Sōjun averted his attention from his wife berating her brother and onto Naruto. "In any case, just keep a level head and take it easy Naruto and you shouldn't have any trouble getting through." He stated, smiling at his son before turning to the others. "Now I believe we have stalled Naruto enough. He is late as it is, we don't want to stall him anymore."

Though the statement was said to them all, it was mostly pointed to his wife and Isshin.

"I agree." Byakuya choose that moment to step forward. He had to be by the 1st Division barracks for some reports and a Shinigami can never be late when meeting with the Captain-Commander. Turning to Naruto, he offered him a small smile. "I would wish you luck Naruto but I believe you have no need for something like that."

Naruto returned his smile and nodded before something struck him as he watched Byakuya prepare to leave. A mischievous grin broke on his face before he decided to mess with his brother. "Say Hi to Hisana Nee-chan for me!"

Byakuya froze at those words with his back turned to the others.

"Hisana!?"

The heads of everyone present snapped to Byakuya, even Asanoha stopped berating Isshin whose face broke into something that could only be described as a shit-eating grin.

Meanwhile, Byakuya mentally cursed his younger brother. Although, he would not say that he hadn't expected this, in fact, it surprised him that it took Naruto seven years to say something about Hisana before their family – his timing couldn't have been any worse. He couldn't deal with this right now.

And so Byakuya did the only thing that seemed to be the most effective action to take.

He flash-stepped the hell outta there!

Naruto laughed out when he saw his Nii-chan actually running away.

"Ah! He fled!" Exclaiming, Isshin jumped to his feet before immediately a grin broke on his face and he prepared to give chase. "But try as he might, that punk is a 100 years too early to out-run me!"

"Wait!" Before Isshin could take off after Byakuya, he was stopped by Asanoha.

"But Nee-chan! You can't really let him get away with this!" Isshin exclaimed, turning to his big sister. After all the attempts had had made to corrupt his eldest nephew but had failed at every single one of them, there was no way he was going to let him get away without answers after learning that he was apparently involved with someone!

"Oh trust me, I won't." She stated with certainty while giving Isshin a look. As if she was going to let her son get away without answers with a matter like this.

Despite how much he wanted to just go and hunt down Byakuya before beating some answers out of him, he had to relent after his sister gave him a look telling him to drop it.

"Leaving Byakuya aside for now, I believe we have wasted Naruto's time enough." Ginrei who had been silent up to that point began, effectively putting a stop to the commotion before he turned to address Naruto. "Naruto, I want you to know that this is the point beyond which you will come in terms with your power."

Naruto immediately stood attentively in front of Ginrei as his grandfather began to speak and waited patiently for him to continue. His grandfather's words were always to heed and learn from.

Even the other three were also silently listening to Ginrei.

"Now I am sure you are aware of this Naruto, but you have been blessed with a great deal of power." Ginrei stated as he stared right into Naruto's eyes who stared right back with an unwavering gaze. "For the past eight years, we have been training you in strength and making sure that your body is prepared to handle that very power – to make sure that you were prepared for this very point and beyond."

Ginrei then stepped forward and placed a hand over Naruto's head. "Remember to always have a strong heart that will keep you away from becoming overconfident." Ginrei finished as he gave Naruto a small smile which Naruto returned before he turned to leave but not before addressing Isshin. "Come along Isshin, it is time you and I are on our way."

Isshin nodded along. They did have a captain's meeting today in regards to this year's graduates. Turning to Naruto, he grinned and ruffled his hair. "Before I go Naruto." He leaned forward and whispered into Naruto's ear. "The academy classes other than the practice and combat classes are boring and tedious so make sure you have something to do! I would personally recommend sleeping through them – that's what I did!"

After saying his piece, Isshin immediately jumped back to where Ginrei stood to avoid his sister's anger. No doubt, she had heard him telling Naruto to basically slack off during the academy. He then grinned and gave a wave. "We're off so take care Naruto!"

Ginrei also nodded in agreement before he and Isshin disappeared.

Naruto in the meanwhile, couldn't help but find his uncle to be awesome. From the way he spoke, it was obvious that Isshin hadn't really paid any attention to his classes and had mostly just slept through them and yet he had not only graduated from the academy within a single year but had also made captain within a little over a decade of joining the **Gotei 13**!

"Do not heed what he just told you Naruto." Naruto turned to look at his mother to find her shaking her head in exasperation.

Sighing, Asanoha turned to Naruto and smiled before going and giving him a hug which Naruto gladly returned. "Just be careful and make sure to come home immediately afterwards alright?" She couldn't help but fuss as she tightened her hold on his frame before letting go and kissing him on the forehead.

Naruto nodded before stepping back and prepared to go but not before turning to his parents and grinning at them. "Tou-chan, Kaa-chan. I'm off now!" He waved at them getting smiles from them both before he turned and walked into the Academy gates.

"Is something the matter?" Sōjun asked his wife as he turned to her and found her looking at Naruto's retreating back with a small and perhaps a little sad smile on her lips.

"I just find it ironic is all…" She began to say as she rested her head on her husband's shoulder when she felt him take her hand in his. "For souls like us, time is of no essence. We don't age. We don't grow old. Our outward appearances are but manifestations of our mind and spirit. And yet…" She trailed off and squeezed her husband's hand tightly as she watched Naruto's form disappear from view. "I can't help but feel that both Byakuya and Naruto… they are growing up too fast."

Kissing her gently on the head, he whispered. "I know."

* * *

Walking along with empty corridors of the Academy, Naruto couldn't help but feel that maybe he was lost. He has been walking for a while now but has yet to find his classroom. He shrugged the thought away though, the place was just too damn big and he should be reaching his classroom soon. With that thought, Naruto continued on.

A bit of more walking and a couple of turns later, Naruto finally found his classroom. Class #1, the special accelerated program.

Wasting no time, Naruto went and slid the door open before entering.

Upon his entrance the first thing that Naruto took notice of was the large bald man standing at the front of the classroom who turned to look at him the moment he entered.

"Ah, you must be Naruto Kuchiki." The man said addressing Naruto while both of them ignored the murmurs that began once the man called Naruto's full name. "I am Gengorō Ōnabara, the Head Teacher of Class 1."

Naruto merely nodded in response before walking over to the man. "I hope I'm not late." Naruto said to Gengorō before taking a look around the classroom.

It was fairly small compared to the other classes with large desks that can be used by up to four people. The class consisted of only about 20 students, most of which were from the lower nobles clans, Naruto could make out.

"Oh no. The calls has yet to begin." When Naruto raised an eyebrow at him, Gengorō elaborated. "I had just finished giving the welcome speech so I would say that you are on time; also considering the fact that you are a special case." After saying this Gengorō gestured towards the class. "Now why don't you take a seat and we can begin the class. Take any seat you want."

Naruto nodded one last time before he started to make his way to the back of the class all the while ignoring the gazes that followed his every move. Finally, he stopped by a desk right at back of the class that was occupied by three people. All three appeared to be around his age and amongst the entire class, were the only ones whose _Reiryoku_ came closest to his own.

The first one, sitting at the other end of the desk was a girl with short black hair styled in a hime-cut and gray eyes. Naruto noted that she appeared to have a slightly shy demeanor.

The second one, sitting in the middle was a boy with short, spiked, white hair and turquoise eyes. He seemed to have a cold aura around him. Wait, no, it's not that he had a cold aura but rather his _Reiryoku_ itself was cold. However, his cold _Reiryoku_ aside, he seemed to have a detached demeanor. He was also on the short side.

The third and last one was another boy with unusual silver hair, very sharp features and was on the thin side. He also had his eyes narrowed to slits along with a wide, mocking smile playing on his lips which seemed to give him a rather unnerving demeanor but Naruto couldn't sense any negative emotions coming off of him so he guessed it was fine.

"Hey, you don't mind if I sit here do you?" Naruto asked as he grinned at the three.

The response he got was two of them – the girl and the white-haired kid looking at him like he just grew a second head while the silver-haired kid didn't seem to be affected at all.

Naruto guessed that the reaction from the other two was to be expected as it must have come off as weird for a noble and someone from two of the Four Great Noble Clans and with a family like he has to actually be polite and ask and not just be seating himself.

However, they must not know that he came from a house that had Lady Asanoha Kuchiki as the matriarch. While she could be much more lenient towards fooling around with family and close friends, she was intolerant towards impoliteness anywhere else. So she had beaten some manners into both Naruto and Byakuya.

Although, he did found the reaction of the third one to be curious. He didn't seem to find it one bit odd and just continued to smile.

"Oh on, go ahead." The silver-haired kid said with his smile present all along.

"Thanks, I'm Naruto by the way. Naruto Kuchiki." Naruto introduced himself as he took a seat beside the silver-haired kid, at the right end of the desk.

"I'm Gin. Gin Ichimaru." He introduced himself without even the slight change coming in his demeanor.

Naruto nodded before turning towards the other two.

"Tōshirō Hitsugaya." The white-haired kid introduced himself before turning his attention towards the front.

"Shaolin Fēng." The girl introduced herself as she gave a short bow.

Naruto grinned at all three. "Cool, it's nice to meet you!"

Before anything else could be said, Gengorō called out for attention. "Alright, settle down everyone. It's time to begin the class. You can all talk afterwards but for now just listen here."

Hearing those words, Naruto turned his attention to the front as the teacher began with the class.

* * *

_'Man Ji-chan wasn't kidding when he said these classes are tedious and boring!'_ Thought Naruto as he got up from his sitting position and stretched.

Although it has been interesting to study about _Reiryoku_ and its different types, Naruto couldn't believe he had been sitting at the same spot for hours! He had never sat at a single spot for this long before and couldn't be any gladder that the lunch break started when it did or he just might have gone crazy from being unable to move while the teacher donned on and on about _Reiatsu, Reiryoku _and_ Reishi_.

Heaving a relieved sigh before turning to his three seatmates to find them also preparing to go eat lunch. He suddenly grinned as a thought struck him.

"Hey I know!" Naruto suddenly started causing the other three to turn to him. "Why don't we go have lunch together?!" Naruto proposed as he grinned at them.

Gin, seeing no reason to deny, just shrugged in acceptance.

Shaolin also saw no reason to deny and nodded her head.

Tōshirō though, seemed about to deny when Naruto didn't give him chance.

"Great! Then let's go and have lunch!" Naruto said cheerfully before starting to move out of the class followed by the others.

"Hey wait a minute! I never said–" Tōshirō began to protest when he was cut off by Naruto.

"Don't worry about it. Lunch is much more fun when you have someone to eat it with!" Naruto commented as he draped an arm around Tōshirō's shoulder and started to all but drag him out of the class.

"Like I said –"

"Now where should we have lunch?"

"Would you even –"

"I guess a under a nice tree will do!"

"Listen to what –"

The other two watched in amusement as Tōshirō tried but failed to argue as the stubborn Kuchiki didn't even give him the chance to finish as all four made their way towards a place to eat lunch.

* * *

"You know, pouting like that makes you appear more like a kid than you already do." Naruto commented off-handedly to Tōshirō as he started unwrap his rather large, dual compartment, black bento with golden designs decorating it that was prepared for him by his Kaa-chan.

Naruto along with his three new friends (to Naruto anyways) were currently sitting under a fairly large tree at a more secluded part of the academy.

Once they had settled themselves under a tree, Naruto had offered to share his bento with Gin once he had noticed that Gin only had dried persimmons for lunch that he had been happily munching on while ignoring everything else. Naruto's proposal had earned him a confused look from Gin who had for the first time lost his smile before once more shrugging and chalking it off as one of the weird Kuchiki's weird quirks.

"I am not a kid!" Tōshirō snapped heatedly.

"Oh right, forgive me. You're not just a kid." Tōshirō was about to sigh at that being over with when Naruto continued. "You're a short kid with hair like an old man." Naruto once more commented off-handedly as he lifted the lid of his bento.

"That's not what I meant!" Tōshirō once more snapped with tick-marks appearing all over his forehead.

Naruto though, payed Tōshirō no mind as he was too busy drooling over his bento when he saw – the other assortments of foods aside, the main course was actually ramen!

Ramen of course, was Naruto's most favorite food and the ramen prepared by his Kaa-chan was absolutely heavenly and according to Naruto belonged on the dinner table of the gods themselves. Sadly though, while as delicious as it was, ramen was considered unhealthy despite the fact that Naruto could live his life off of ramen alone so Asanoha had restricted Naruto's intake of ramen to only about four times a week and as far as he knew Naruto had already had ramen those four times.

Naruto knew though, that this was his Kaa-chan's special treat for Naruto's first day of the academy.

'_You're the best Kaa-chan!'_ Naruto thought to himself as the image of a chibi Naruto glomping a chibi version of his Kaa-chan to a hug while saying _'You're the best! You're the best!'_ repeatedly ran through his head.

After handing one compartment over to Gin, Naruto dug into his lunch with new-found vigor.

They all ate their lunch in silence after that.

It didn't take long for Naruto to finish his lunch before stretching and leaning back against the tree. Looking at the three, Naruto decided to ask something that was on his mind.

"So tell me, why did you guys decided to become Shinigami?" Naruto asked, catching all their attention as they seem to think it over for a bit.

"Why I decided to become a Shinigami?" Gin asked to himself as he put his chopsticks on his chin in thought. "Oh right, I decided to become Shinigami to change things." No one but Naruto noticed the slit twitch that came to his smile as he said those words.

Naruto did raise an eye-brow when he felt a strange yet familiar negative emotion coming off of Gin. It wasn't directed at any of them though but it _was_ directed at someone. Naruto couldn't ponder on the thought more though as Tōshirō spoke up at that moment.

"It's not like I have a particular goal or anything in mind for wanting to become a Shinigami…" He trailed off as his hold on his bento tightened slightly. "I decided to become a Shinigami to control this power of mine from hurting those around me."

Naruto understood what he meant. He didn't need his advanced sensing power to feel the clumsy _Reiryoku_ control that Tōshirō had demonstrated so far and honestly, if Naruto didn't have the great level of _Reiryoku_ – much greater than Tōshirō's, then he was sure he too would have been affected by the cold _Reiryoku_.

Finally, Naruto turned his head to Shaolin who fidgeted slightly before answering.

"I… had no choice really." She started to say, looking down at her bento. "I'm from Fēng Clan and it is tradition for every member of our clan to all make it to the Onmitsukidō and anyone who fails is exiled from the clan."

Ah yes, the Fēng Clan! Naruto of course knew of them. They were a lower noble clan that was affiliated to the Shihōin Clan and served directly under the Shihōin Clan head, which just so happened to be Yoruichi. All the members of the Fēng Clan were part of Onmitsukidō's Executive Militia.

"What about you?" Naruto turned to Tōshirō who had just spoken. "Why did you decide to become a Shinigami?"

"Who me?" Naruto started before a grin broke on his face. "Well I, decided to become a Shinigami so I can become the strongest to protect my precious people!" He stated proudly.

"That's… an odd reason for wanting to become a Shinigami." Shaolin commented as she stared at Naruto a bit weirdly along with Tōshirō. Both not expecting that to be Naruto's reason for wanting to become a Shinigami but then again, Naruto had proven to be quite weird from the short time they have known him. He didn't act anything like a Noble of the Four Great Noble Clans would.

"You think so?" Naruto asked before shrugging. "But for me, I have always believed that a person is truly strong when they have something or someone precious to protect."

Hearing Naruto's response, Shaolin and Tōshirō looked at each other before pondering on it.

While this was happening, no one noticed that Gin had lost his smile at Naruto's response and even had his eyes open, revealing two sky-blue orbs that stared at Naruto unreadably.

Suddenly feeling sleepy, Naruto stretched before giving a yawn.

"I think I'm gonna go ahead and take a nap. Wake me up when the break is over." Naruto said, closing his eyes before getting comfortable against the tree and instantly falling asleep.

* * *

When Naruto opened his eyes again, he didn't know where he was but what he did know was that he certainly was not within the Shin'ō Academy anymore or even the Soul Society for that matter.

Looking around and studying the… world that he suddenly found himself within. The first thing that he noticed was that it was night-time and he clearly remember falling asleep during mid-day. Looking up, he saw that the night-sky was an infinite kaleidoscope of colors with a crescent blood-red moon and not even a single star anywhere in sight along with the outlines of uniquely shaped and rather tall hills extending over the night-sky.

Turning his gaze away from the night-sky and around him, Naruto noticed through the fog that wherever he looked, thick forests were all he could see but what he found strange was that despite the thick forests covering the lands, the ground underneath his feet was solid concrete. Actually, now that he took a closer look within the thick forests, he could make out the ruins of civilizations everywhere.

Naruto looked at the ruins strangely and couldn't help but feel a bit sad for the fallen civilization before turning his head to the weirdest thing of all.

There, right in front of Naruto was the strangest building he had ever seen. It appeared to be some kind of castle and was extremely large. Covered in shadows of the night, it appeared to be quite ominous.

Naruto gulped. He was really afraid of ghosts (Never mind the fact that he himself was a soul but souls and ghosts were different! He reasoned.) and this weird castle appeared to be the very definition of haunted.

However, Naruto knew that he had no choice other than going to the castle because as far as Naruto could sense, there wasn't anyone else in this whole world aside from him and the presence that he could feel coming from within the castle. And he didn't know how to describe it but he felt this… tug from within him that wanted him to go to the castle.

Gulping once, Naruto began on his way to the castle.

As he continued on with his walk to the castle, Naruto looked around and took notice of even more ruins littered around and when he made it out of the forest and into the clearing right in front of the castle, Naruto froze.

All around him and the castle was the most number of ruins and it didn't just show a fallen civilization but also beared signs of war. War that brought about the end of the civilization. However, it wasn't the ruins or signs of war that froze Naruto in his place. No, it was the otherworldly _Reiryoku_ that was coming from within the castle!

This close to the castle, Naruto could almost make out the visible image of the pitch black _Reiryoku_ that covered the castle like a blanket. Naruto had never felt anything like this. This _Reiryoku_ was so dense and powerful that _Reiryoku_ from those of even his family couldn't compare to!

Naruto felt like he was having trouble breathing from the heaviness that the _Reiryoku_ was causing to the air.

However, what Naruto found odd was that the _Reiryoku_ was strikingly similar to his own. In fact, it almost felt like they were one in the same but... not.

Naruto gulped again with beads of sweat tickling down his forehead and with shaky steps he started towards the castle.

After just a short walk, Naruto found himself standing in front of the large front doors of the castle.

Naruto clenched and unclenched his fists and pondered on what to do but didn't got the time to come to a decision when the double-doors opened on their own.

Seeing that whoever was inside was basically inviting Naruto in, he decided he had no choice but to enter and enter he did.

Walking into the castle, Naruto came upon what appeared to be a very large living room with one side completely made out of glass windows and at the center of the room was a very large table with many chairs lined on both sides.

However, Naruto couldn't concern himself with any of that because right before Naruto was the very source of the abnormally powerful _Reiryoku_.

There, at the other end of the table and directly in front of Naruto was what appeared to be a throne with a single figure sitting on it. Both the figure and most of the throne were covered in shadows so Naruto couldn't exactly make out the figure except for the eyes. Two blood-red orbs that were the same shade of red as the moon outside stared right back at Naruto with an emotionless gaze.

"**So, you have come."** Naruto felt chills run up and down his spine when the figure spoke for the first time after a long moment of silence. His voice so emotionless yet laced with raw power.

"W-who are you?" Gathering his nerves enough, Naruto asked of the figure.

"**I am ****"** Naruto blinked and stared at the figure as a single thought ran through his head. _'I couldn't hear him.'_

"Um… sorry but could you repeat that?" Naruto asked a bit nervously.

"**I said, my name is ****"** Once more, Naruto could hear every word the figure spoke except for the name.

"I… I couldn't hear you again." Naruto asked but instead of replying the figure simply stared at Naruto before closing his eyes in what Naruto guessed was resignation. He couldn't help but feel annoyed that the figure was disappointed in him for not hearing his name, it's not like it was Naruto's fault that he couldn't hear the stupid name.

"**I see."** The figure began to say, breaking Naruto from his thoughts as he opened his eyes and stared at Naruto. **"You came too early." **Just as he said those words – leaving Naruto confused as to what he meant, the shadows along the walls and the floor began to stretch and wrap themselves around Naruto.

He would have screamed and tried to break free if he could but the moment the shadows started to wrap themselves around him, Naruto was completely paralyzed. Just before the shadows completely consumed Naruto and everything went blank, he heard the figure speak one last time.

"**Go and come back when you are ready to hear my name."**

* * *

Naruto jerked awake, sweating all over as his eyes darted everywhere as if expecting to still be within the strange and mysterious world but only found out that he was back at the academy.

"Are you alright?"

Hearing the concerned voice, Naruto turned his head to come face to face with Shaolin who was sitting beside him on her knees with a hand gently resting on his shoulder as she looked at him with a worried gaze.

"Shao… lin?" Naruto asked, more to himself though as he looked around again and noticed that Gin and Tōshirō were also looking at him a bit weirdly.

"Yes." She said while gently rubbing his shoulder to ease some of his tension. "You appeared to be having a bad dream and also the class is about to start so I thought I should wake you up."

"A dream?" Naruto said to himself after hearing Shaolin's words as he turned his gaze to the ground and thought about what he had just been through. He had no idea what had happened. That was the only thing he knew. However, thinking back on it, he was certain that what he had just experienced was NOT a dream. It felt too real.

That power, that figure concealed in the shadows, that scenery of the fallen civilization, that sky, that moon, everything! It felt all too real to be a dream.

He racked up his brain to come up with a possible explanation for what could all of that have been about but came on empty.

"Are you done daydreaming?" Breaking out of his thoughts by the sudden voice, Naruto looked up to find Tōshirō looking at him a bit annoyed. "If so then we have to get back to class. The lunch break is long over with." He said before turning and starting to walk away.

Naruto sighed and decided to put it out of his mind for now. He still had class so he couldn't keep thinking about it.

With that thought he got up and started to follow Tōshirō along with Shaolin and Gin as the four made their way back to the classroom.

As they walked along the corridors of the academy and towards their class, the images of what had transpired while he slept played through Naruto's head and just like that, he felt tired and wanted the academy to just end already so he could go home and rest. He didn't feel like dealing with the academy anymore.

* * *

Later that day, right after getting off of the academy and saying good-bye to his three new friends, Naruto had made his way straight home.

Walking into the Kuchiki Clan compound while waving off the guards that bowed to him, Naruto couldn't help the sense of relief that washed over him as he came to a stop within the clan gardens. Closing his eyes, he smiled slightly as the evening air caressed his face before breathing in deeply and then sighing heavily as the feeling of tiredness still hanged upon him.

Naruto really wasn't used to feeling this way. He also didn't understood why exactly he was feeling this exhausted; never in his life had he felt this tired before. And it's not like he had been doing anything particularly taxing but after his encounter with that strange man within that strange world, Naruto had been feeling more and more tired.

He had asked the teacher about it and had found out that apparently when souls were subjected to more _Reiatsu _than they could handle, the souls tend to subconsciously exhaust their own _Reiryoku_ to not only withstand but also keep themselves form disappearing and though it made some sense to Naruto seeing as how the _Reiatsu_ he had been subjected to was _humongous_ – for a lack of better word and Naruto did feel suffocated during the encounter, he still couldn't shake the feeling that that wasn't the case or at least not entirely.

He didn't know why or how but Naruto felt a strange familiarity to the _Reiryoku_ and not to mention the man himself. The _Reiryoku_ was just far too similar to his own and as for that man, Naruto felt that he _should_ know him but no matter how much Naruto thought it over, he just couldn't figure out exactly from where or how. He felt that he just _should _know him.

Shaking his head to get rid of these tiring thoughts, Naruto decided to just leave them be. He wasn't getting anywhere by constantly thinking about it and got the feeling that he won't get anywhere even if he did keep thinking about it. Perhaps, he will ask someone from his family later about it but for now, Naruto decided to just go and take a nice long soak and then go get some sleep.

Although a part of him felt like he should stay away from sleeping so to not end up in that place again, he couldn't help but think that he wasn't going to end up there again anytime soon if that man's words were any indication.

Once more shaking his head to clear the thoughts, he made his way into the mansion.

"I'm home!" Naruto called out as he slid the _fusuma_ shut behind him.

"Welcome home, Naruto!"

Turning his head to the side, Naruto saw his uncle flying at him with his arms wide open ready to tackle him to the ground. However, right before Isshin could tackle Naruto, he suddenly felt two arms wrap around him out of nowhere before he felt himself get pulled back with his head landing on something plump and soft.

Looking up, Naruto came face to face with a grinning Yoruichi. He also chose to ignore Isshin who crashed into the floor.

"Yoruichi-san?" Naruto inquired a little confused.

"How many times do I have to tell you to just call me Yoruichi!?" She shook her head in exasperation before another grin overtook her face. "But never mind that! What's this about a Hisana I've been hearing about!?" Yoruichi asked excitedly.

Naruto blinked before turning to his still crashed-into-the-floor uncle who was twitching while muttering something about dodged well. He wasn't surprised in the least that his uncle had most likely told Yoruichi about Hisana. The two did enjoy annoying the hell out of Byakuya.

Naruto opened his mouth to speak when he was cut off by _fusuma_ right in front of them opening and in came his parents along with Byakuya. His mother had a hold of Byakuya's arm who appeared to be composed but Naruto could make out the slight twitch in his face.

Seeing the three walk in, Yoruichi let go of Naruto while Isshin got up from the floor before the three made their way over to the others and met them at the center of the room.

Letting go of Byakuya's arm, Asanoha smiled before giving Naruto a hug which he gladly returned. "Welcome home, Naru-chan." Letting go of Naruto she looked him over for a bit. "How was your first day of the academy?"

"It was… interesting I suppose." Naruto answered because in all honesty his encounter with the strange man aside, the academy had been for the most part, interesting.

Asanoha looked at Naruto for a bit longer, knowing that he was holding something back but she decided to not press further – for now.

"In any case, I believe we all would like some answers from you two." Asanoha addressed to her two sons. "Why don't we all sit down first?" She offered getting nods from everyone present as she went over to the table within the room with herself, Byakuya and Sōjun sitting on one side and Yoruichi, Naruto and Isshin the other.

"Alright you two," Asanoha started once more after all of them were seated. "Now why don't you explain from the beginning?"

Naruto and Byakuya looked at each other for a bit as if deciding who should be the one to explain before Byakuya gave a subtle nod, telling Naruto that he can explain.

Naruto gave a sigh before he started explaining about Hisana. How they had first met her seven years ago when they had saved her from a near death condition. How they had taken a liking to her. How they would visit her tea house quite often just to spend some time with her. And how with each passing day the affections between Byakuya and Hisana continued to grow. Though, he made sure to keep out the details about Hisana's situation with her younger sister. Who, she has yet to find.

When Naruto finished his tale, there was silence around the table as the adults seemed to be thinking about it.

"Hm, so it's that pretty one from the tea house." Isshin said more to himself after a while as he stroked his chin while Yoruichi and Sōjun nodded along, both clearly remembered the nice girl who has served them tea when they had stopped by.

Asanoha looked at the other three curiously before asking. "You three know this girl?"

"Yes." Sōjun nodded at his wife's question as he turned to her. "She is this girl that serves tea at that tea house by the border."

Asanoha nodded as she did recall that nice little tea house owned by that nice old couple from her own days as a Shinigami.

"Still," Yoruichi began to say as she looked over at Byakuya "I wouldn't have thought that it was that Hisana all along."

"I know right!" Isshin exclaimed as he turned to Yoruichi. "A girl like that is far too good for a punk like him!" He stated while pointing at Byakuya.

Yoruichi nodded along at his response, Sōjun laughed and Asanoha merely raised an eyebrow while Byakuya's eyebrow twitched violently.

"I don't know." Naruto shrugged, catching all their attention. "I think they look quite good together. Nii-chan is just too big of a wimp to confess his feeling for her."

Byakuya frowned at Naruto. "You know that's not why Naruto."

"Of course it is!" Naruto exclaimed as he pointed a finger at Byakuya. "You've held feeling for her for past seven years! You would go visit her the same as me. You would sit with her, talk with her, drink tea with her. You even treat her more gently than you treat anyone else and yet after all these years you haven't even made a move to confess your feelings to her!"

Byakuya's frown deepened. "You know as well as I do that I can't just address them. It will only burden her."

"Like hell it will!" Naruto snapped as he slammed his fist on the table. "She clearly returns your feelings!"

"That's not what I meant." Byakuya said calmly. "Just because she reciprocates my feelings does not means she will accept them."

Naruto opened his mouth to argue when Yoruichi interfered.

"Ok! Ok! Ok! Now hold on! Clearly there is more going on than what you have told us!" She said to Naruto before tuning to Byakuya. "Why don't you explain exactly why you would burden her by addressing your feeling to her?"

Byakuya frowned at her for a long moment before explaining Hisana's situation with her younger sister.

"So, let me get this straight." Yoruichi started after hearing Byakuya's reason. "So you believe that by courting her you will not only burden her but also be a hindrance to her search for her younger sister?"

"Yes."

There was silence once more as they all pondered on what they had just learned.

"Alright." Asanoha began to say, catching their attention. "We will leave it up to Byakuya for when he decides to court Hisana but for now I believe I would like to meet this girl for myself."

Although, Byakuya was grateful that his mother wasn't going to force him into anything, he really should have expected for his mother to still want to meet her.

"Wait? Now?" Naruto asked as he looked around to see the others getting ready to get going.

"Yes." Asanoha said as she regarded Naruto. "Is there a problem?"

"Um… can we have the visit some other day?" Naruto said while scratching the back of his head. "I'm really tired right now and just want to take a bath and then go to sleep."

When the others heard Naruto say that he was actually _tired_, they knew something wasn't right. 'Naruto' and 'Tired' are two words that none of them would use in the same sentence. He has always had far too much energy going for him and never once had he ever complained about being tired.

"Are you alright?" Asanoha asked Naruto in worry.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Like I said, I'm just," Naruto paused as he gave a yawn. "…tired"

"Very well then." Asanoha stated, turning to the others. "We will go meet her some other day." The others nodded in agreement before Asanoha once more turned to Naruto. "I will have the bath prepared for you so go and get changed first."

"Un." Naruto nodded as he got up from his sitting position and stretched before turning to the others. "I'll see you guys later." He said one last time before not even waiting for their responses, he left the room.

* * *

**(Mid-Night)**

Sitting by the veranda right in front of his room, Naruto was gazing up at the moon. Its shape the same crescent as the blood-red one he had seen in that weird world earlier today.

Still gazing up at the moon, Naruto couldn't help but find it to be truly beautiful. It was strange really, that despite how much the moon affects him as it left him restless and took away his sleep, Naruto could never bring himself to despise the moon.

While silently gazing at the moon, Naruto lost track of time and continued to just admire its unmatched beauty for a long while.

"Naru-chan."

Blinking as he was broken from his trance, Naruto turned his head to find his mother taking a seat right beside him before she reached out and gently took him into her embrace as she stroked his hair. Naruto immediately relaxed and sighed contently.

"Did something happen today?"

Naruto blinked before a smile played on his lips. Of course, his mother would be able to tell that something was bothering him. Sighing, Naruto recalled the strange experience had to her.

While Naruto was finishing his tale, he failed to notice the slight pause in his mother gave.

'_He… had an encounter with his Zanpakutō Spirit this early!?'_ Asanoha thought to herself as she looked at Naruto in astonishment. _'I have heard of Shinigami having visions of their Zanpakutō while they were still kids before, in fact, Isshin himself had started having visions of his own Zanpakutō when he was younger than even Naruto but to actually have an encounter with ones Zanpakutō Spirit in one's own inner world while still lacking the Asauchi is unheard of!'_

'_However, because he didn't have an Asauchi to form the bridge between himself and his inner world and Zanpakutō, he had to utilize his own Reiryoku to temporarily form that bridge which left him completely worn out.'_ Asanoha blinked as she was broken out of her thoughts by Naruto calling her name, she looked down to see Naruto looking at her questioningly. She smiled reassuringly.

"Kaa-chan, what do you think that was about?" Naruto asked after his mother once she turned her attention to him again.

"I cannot tell Naru-chan. The only one who can is the man you encountered." She couldn't help the smile tugged at her lips when Naruto wrinkled his nose in skepticism.

"That guy?" Naruto asked his mother skeptically. "But he didn't look too friendly."

"I know the first encounters can be a bit unnerving Naru-chan. But trust me when I say that that man has nothing but your best intentions in mind." She flicked his nose when she told him this.

"How can you tell anyway? Do you know this guy?" Naruto asked as he rubbed his nose a little.

"Of course I do. I know you after all." She laughed lightly to herself when Naruto shot her a weird look. And before the two returned to their moon-gazing, she told him one last thing.

"Just be patient Naru-chan, and everything will be clear when the times is right."

* * *

_**To be Continued…**_

_**AN:**__ Before you guys begin, know that the only thing that is not taught at the academy or by the Divisions is about the Zanpakutō. As said by Kisuke that they can only teach you how to handle a sword, not how to use your Zanpakutō and the only one who can is the Zanpakutō itself. The academy will hand you an Asauchi and leave the rest entirely up to you. You have to figure out everything about the Zanpakutō yourself._

_Also, Shaolin Fēng is Soi-Fon's given name that she discarded after joining the Onmitsukidō._

_I also know that it is a bit early for Tōshirō to be attending the academy and that he attended the academy about 60-70 years from this point but the challenger wanted me to bring him in the story earlier._

_So, Naruto finally enters the Shin'ō Academy! I won't be dragging out the Academy though, I think I'll wrap it all up within the next 2 – 3 chapters. I really don't want to sit and write about training and there isn't much for me to write with regarding the academy._

_Anyways, Naruto had his very first encounter with his Zanpakutō Spirit but was unable to hear his name! Can you guys make any guesses? Still, don't expect to hear the name anytime soon. Maybe around the 10__th__ chapter you'll find out the name and maybe get to see some of his Zanpakutō abilities but you won't be finding out about the true power of his Zanpakutō till Aizen strikes!_

_Also, you can find an image of what Naruto looks like as well as what Naruto's inner-world looks like on my fb page. You can find the answers to review of the previous chapter there too – if you haven't seen them already!_

_So anyways, don't forget to leave a nice long REVIEW to let me know your thoughts and also keep telling me your thoughts about the pairing. So far you guys have been a great help! Now I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I was going to post this about two days ago but felt lazy at first and then lost my internet connection._

_\- Well, Ciao!_

_**\- El Emperador**_


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